An international non-profit organisation, the Feet of Grace Foundation, has called for a disability-friendly environment, especially in public facilities in Nigeria.

The foundation’s Founder and Executive Director, Dr. Irene Olumese, made the call on Saturday during a charity and awareness walk in Abuja.

Olumese said amputees can work and reproduce, but workplaces and public facilities are not accessible.

“The workplaces and the streets are not kind enough for people with disabilities to work. So, we want to let society know that our missing limbs are not a limitation to being able to live a productive life and contribute towards our society, and to raise funds to provide prosthetic limbs for amputees in Nigeria.

“There is no medical system in Nigeria that provides artificial legs for people when their legs are amputated. It has to be done by philanthropists and foundations like ours. However, because it is so expensive, one person can’t do it. So, we call on all our friends to join us, to ask their friends as well, to donate to the foundation and support us to be able to provide prosthetic limbs for amputees in Nigeria.

“To date, since we set up in 2015, the foundation has provided almost 120 amputees with limbs, and 200 amputees have benefited from all sorts of support from the foundation, including scholarships to be able to go back to school, and seed funds for women to be able to set up their business so that they can have income-generating activities. We don’t want to be dependent on people. We don’t need pity. What we need is support,” she said.

Decrying the plight of amputees in the country, she noted that public facilities, banks, offices, and many places are not disability friendly.

“Every public facility in Nigeria should be disability friendly. We should be able to enter anywhere we want to enter, just like every other person, without having to ask somebody to help us to enter, and that’s why we’re calling on accessibility. Our facilities need to be disability accessible. Our bathrooms need to be disability friendly. That is not too much to ask for.

“Why shouldn’t I be able to go to the Federal Ministry of Health and be able to go to the 10th floor in a wheelchair? Why do I need somebody to help me to climb up the staircase in a hotel? That’s the simple, basic thing we’re asking. Make the facilities disability-friendly. Otherwise, it becomes a challenge for amputees or people with disabilities to be included in the day-to-day life of society.

“Let Nigeria become disability friendly. Inclusion matters. We need to be included. We don’t want to be excluded from the basic minimum things that we can accomplish in Nigeria. I believe that every woman, every man with a disability can contribute to society and make a difference. I know there has been legislation that has been done, but we need it to be widely implemented,” she stated.

Also, Chinyere Ashade highlighted the need for an inclusive environment for people with disabilities.

“I’ve travelled to Lagos two or three times by air, and I have to be carried from the base of the aircraft. I’d be carried up like a bag of rice, tipped over, and then when I get into the aircraft, there’s no chair to take me to my seat. Two people now have to come behind me, carry me and take me to my seat. When you’re coming, you’re always the first to go in and the last to come out. It was only once in one of the aircraft that had a very slim wheelchair, but I’ve not seen that chair again. These are things that we’re supposed to have.

“So going by air, I have to psych myself, and I always tell them, you guys cannot drop me, and since they’ve decided to do it that way, they have to take me up because I must travel. You can’t get into a lot of offices because there are no ramps. So, the emphasis is about fundamental human rights,” she said.

Ashade called for an end to discrimination against people with disabilities.

“Some ladies want to get married and there’s a whole lot of discrimination against them. Once they see she’s an amputee, the in-laws begin to say this man has not found the wife that he wants to marry. So, there’s a whole lot of work that needs to be done. There’s a whole lot of sensitisation that we hope will go on,” she added.

On her part, one of the coordinators of the walk, Babafunke Fagbemi, said it is difficult for amputees to get prosthetics in Nigeria.

“The cost of one prosthetic limb is about N1.5m. So, if you are a bilateral amputee, that means you need close to N3m to be able to get back on your feet again, and this is money that a lot of Nigerians can afford. We spend about that much to buy iPhones, to buy luxurious gadgets, and I’m imploring all Nigerians to support the cause of amputees, donate to the Feet of Grace Foundation, and make sure that amputees can smile again,” Fagbemi said.

She urged the government and every individual to create a conducive environment for amputees to live in.

“The government needs to play its part, and everybody can do something to make sure that the environment is more conducive for amputees to live in. So, this is an awareness creation to support their cause in making sure that they can live to their maximum potential in life. It’s important to be inclusive in all that we’re doing to make sure that everybody has that right to life,” Fagbemi added.