Social security is the cardinal responsibility of any responsive and responsible government which understands the full import of good governance. This aspect of the obligation on the part of government has suffered intentional neglect in Africa generally and Nigerian particularly. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr.;”Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity”. Every fiscal and finical year governments roll out huge budgets for both capital and recurrent expenditures but it hardly reflects on the overall wellbeing of the citizenry. The greater parts of the population are far below the poverty line whereas ethnic poverty is ravaging the masses while the few in the corridors of power along with their cronies are radiating opulence. But, Malcon X said; “We cannot think of being acceptable to others until we have first proven acceptable to ourselves”. If our leaders reject or neglect us we must make them recognize that we do exist. That’s why the disabled demonstrated recently in Owerri, Imo state capital The gap between the haves and the have-nots widen on daily basis and the less privileged are being wantonly neglected, down trodden and oppressed. Recently, the air waves was filled with the ear-tingling news of the allegation against the aviation minister’s profligate spending of a whooping sum of USD $1.6 million in the purchase of two armored plated official vehicles. This is just a tip in the ice-berg out of the various cases of the government’s engagement in a wasteful lavishing of the public funds, whereas many sectors of the economy are begging for finical attention to no avail. It is quite embarrassing and unacceptable to imagine the extent of suffering, misery and abject humiliation of which fellow citizens who fall into the class of the less privileged in our society are subjected to, when we know that the resources to take care of them are readily made available to us by the munificent God almighty. It is appalling that some people feed from the dust-bins and garbage in this era in our country when the modern democracy has enhanced people’s consciousness as to the duties and obligations of those entrusted with the acts of governance. Every political dispensation is witnessed with politicians using the same issues like, steady power supply, good road network, transportation systems, portable pipe-borne water, agriculture, health, education e.t.c as campaign promises in their manifestoes. Once again Malcon X did say;” You’re not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can’t face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or who says it “. Recently President Goodluck Jonathan beckoned on the Academic Staff Union of Universities to call off their strike by tampering reasons with patriotism. The same old story is told even up till date and the monotony is not in question but the actualization of such promises tends to be almost like mirages. The attainment of the ultimate goal of ensuring the provision of the three fundamental needs of human beings enumerated as food, clothing and shelter still appear unrealistic because those people privileged to be entrusted with the management and appropriation of the common wealth of the nation are quite imprudent, in sincere and atrocious. This has led to the miss-management and looting of the public treasury and as such making life so difficult and miserable for the less privileged (the physically and mentally sound) talk- less of the physical challenged.
In a situation where the hale and hearty people among the less privileged masses find it very difficult to eke out a living, the physically challenged and mentally deranged are under great misery, feeding from garbage and living in quite dehumanizing conditions (under the bridges, bus-stops, street sides, open parks and slums). As for the physically challenged who are determined to survive in the wisdom and saying that there is ability in disability, the socio-political climate turned so inclement because of bad leadership and wickedness from the leaders. It is nothing short of perfidy to make the disabled people lose a sense of belonging in every scheme of things ranging from opportunities for education, gainful employment, healthcare and other social benefits accruing to them as bonafide citizens, albeit, when all are being either partially or totally denied. It is sheer segregation to administer a sub-human standard to these set of people in any just society and even sacrilegious to deprive them of their due fundamental rights to life, education, association, expression, enfranchisement e.t.c cashing in on the ugly circumstances beyond their control, not of their own faults but confronted nature. The privileged ought to realize that only providence but nothing else thrusts upon them the virtues of fortune. In the biblical injunction, it was written that, “it is not of him that willeth or runneth but of Him that showeth mercy” so, let not those entrusted with the good things of this life boast their heads in pride when in the true sense of it, there is a dint of tragedy lurking around should those poor masses left in their care get forlorn unto frustration. The climax of frustration out of hopelessness is revolution now taking place in many parts of the world e.g Egypt, Syria and Libya e.t.c. Hence in Nigeria today, different groups are demonstrating, expressing resentment and embarking on work-to-rule actions. Recently, the streets of Owerri municipality were suffocated with traffic jams when the physically challenged citizens domiciled in the state took offense against the government of Owelle on the rescue mission and blocked the major highways. It was curious that the second-in-command of the Imo State Rescue mission crusaders, His Excellency the Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere (MFR) was reported by the local tabloids to have escaped lynching by these group of the society as a bitter expression of their grouse with the state government. The deputy Governor in his intervention address to this group, extended invitation to the leaders of the group to open dialogue with the Imo State government. This is typical of the “Nigeria factor” where the system is more interested in reactive instead of pro-active measures. Prior to this critical stage, this group has displayed bitter resentment to certain aspects of the government’s policies where they feel shortchange which seem to have fallen on deaf ears, initially they complained of inadequate job opportunities in a situation where only about forty-eight(48) out five hundred (500) physically challenged graduates were employed as at last February 2013; and the political appointment of Mrs. Kate Okoli as the Special Adviser to the Imo State Governor (SA) on special citizens instead of a fellow physically challenged who will actually feel the pulse of this class of people; the inability or refusal of the Imo State government to sustain the payment of the subvention for the state chapter of the Joint National Association of Persons With Disability (JONAPWD) amounting to about eight million (N8 million) only per month, these group of Imo Citizens whose membership strength drawn from across the twenty seven (27) local Government authorities of Imo State is estimated to be about five thousand (5000) have been promised employment for the categories of University Degree/ equivalent, National Certificate of Education (NCE) and Ordinary National Diploma (OND) and ordinary level WASC/GCE by the Imo State government. But, it all appears to be a ruse, since the government never kept to their promises but remains adamant to their yearnings and previous complains. Apart from this group, it is evident that the welfare of the citizens generally is not the primary concern of the governments. Unfortunately, the streets of Owerri are brimming with stray children and their mentally deranged single parents (Male or Female), beggars of all sorts (including almajeris that abound); dyslectics, lunatics and many invalids. One would wonder at what the appropriate authorities like the ministries of women affairs, Environment and the new community government are up to. According to the wisecrack Dr. Nelson Mandella, “We must use the time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right”. For a better society let justice, equity and good conscience reign supreme in all sincerity by eschewing treachery.
