Current..News......16th April 2007

    On the 16th of April 2007, there was a protest by the members of association for comprehensive empowerment of Nigerians with disabilities (ASCEND) over discriminations against them by the major commercial banks in Nigeria. This protest took place in some major cities in Nigeria such as Lagos and Ibadan. The protest led by the national president of ASCEND Mr Cosmos Okoli in Lagos was peaceful and organised. Some of this banks headquarters in Lagos were visited by army of angry Nigerians with disabilities who have been embarrassed and disgraced by these banks security agents. These banks activities were disturbed for an hour because in each of the banks, the members of ASCEND sat down at the entrance prevent the customers to have access to the banks. In each of the banks, they recorded success because chairmen of banks came out and address the problems pointed out by ASCEND.
It was alleged that most of banks have labelled persons with crutches and wheelchairs as pretenders who faked with crutches or wheelchairs to manoeuvre the security doors and have access to rob the banks. In regard of this, the management of these banks instructed their security men to stop any physically challenged person on crutches and wheelchairs to enter the bank hall to transact banking business. Persons with disabilities in the hand of these heartless security men who are afraid of losing their jobs experienced all kinds of humiliations and it became obvious that the society do not have regard for Nigerians with disabilities even though some of them are employers of labour.

On the 13th and 14th of December, 2007, the Publisher of Qualitative Magazine, Mr. Christian Agbo organized a skill acquisition/sensitization program for over 40 persons with disabilities in Abuja on batik making and soap production. There were motivational talks by established Nigerians with disabilities in order to help reduce the menace of begging for alms in the street and the need to make adequate use of the opportunities made available by the organizer. In the closing ceremony of the program, the organizer made donations of wheelchairs and walking sticks to some of the participants. A catholic Abuja based NGO, Services for People with Disabilities, Abuja made available soft loans for the participants.