‘Does He Expect Me To Climb Staircase In Wheelchair?’- Physically Challenged Slams Abuja Businessman

THE WHISTLER was at the scene of an unfortunate incident when a group of Physically Challenged Persons on advocacy visit to a business plaza in Abuja were shabbily treated.

The group had gone to see Nelson Okpara, the owner and Managing Director of O’Neal Center located in Jabi, Abuja, but could not see him because he allegedly refused to come down from his office upstairs to see his visitors.

This website later spoke to Agbo Christian, one of the leaders of the group who narrated what happened.

Christian, who uses a wheelchair, said he and other PWDs had paid a scheduled advocacy visit to Okpara on Friday as part of their efforts to have owners of public and commercial facilities comply with the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).

President Muhammadu Buhari had in 2019 signed into law the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability and imposes sanctions including fines and prison sentences on those who contravene its provisions.

Christian told THE WHISTLER that the group, under the Albino Foundation, had embarked on the advocacy visits under a project supported by European Union in Abuja to educate the owners of such facilities on what is expected of them in the disability act in order to facilitate implementation.

When the group arrived at O’Neal Center to have a chat with its owner, Christian said Okpara (the owner) asked the group, amongst whom were blind persons and persons confined to wheelchairs, to meet him in his office which was on the 3rd floor, instead of coming downstairs to speak with them considering that some of them may find it difficult climbing the stairs.

Christian said “Albino Foundation had already arranged that we are going to visit O’Neal because it is one of the public places where we intend to discuss the Disability Act and how it affects them and what they’re expected to do before the five years period elapses.

“When we got there, he was not around, so we waited for about 2-3hours before he returned. We were about nine of us including one person with amputated legs, one blind person and 2 persons on wheel chairs.

“After some time, he sent someone to call one of our representatives (Mr Afam Kasim). On returning to meet us downstairs he was very moody, and said the man(Okpara) said he was not envisaging that persons with disabilities will be in the meeting.

“He said he tried explaining to the man that we are all here from different coalition and with different interests but the man (Okpara) said even at that, if we cannot come to the office upstairs, we better go, because he cannot come down to talk to us.”

Explaining the pain they felt at the rejection, Christian said, “I felt so bad, and devastated. I was very hurt because you did not make your facility accessible for me neither was my goal there accomplished, but I promised the man that I was going to tell the whole world about what he has done.

“There is no way he can justify what happened because he did not give any cogent reason why he could not come down.”

He said Okpara could have met them at the ground floor of the plaza before climbing to his office.

“We did not come there to beg him for anything but for an advocacy visit for which he gave approval , only to claim you were not told that wheelchair users will be coming.

“What is so special with wheelchair users that they have to inform you specially of their coming. If I was there for a business worth millions, won’t he come down to see me. It’s quite discriminatory, does he expect me to climb the stairs with my wheel chair?”

THE WHISTLER also visited Okpara on Thursday to get his response but our correspondent was told to drop her complimentary card with a promise that he would call.

But as of the time of filing this report, Okpara has yet to contact our reporter to tell his side of the story.

The Discriminations Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, provides for the full integration of Persons with Disabilities (PWD) into society and prohibits discrimination on the basis of disabilities.

According to the act, discrimination constitutes a punishable offense and “upon conviction, the penalty for a corporate body is a fine of N1,000,000”

Despite provisions of the Act, PWDs are believed to still face stigma, discrimination and barriers in accessing basic social services and economic opportunities across the country.