MMAWT Legacy Initiative in collaboration with Rebuilding Hope on Wheels Initiative today marked the 2017 International Day of Persons living with disabilities.
The 2017 Commemoration themed: ‘’Transformation towards sustainable and resilient society for all”.
It was held at the Abdulrashid Adisa Raji Special School Sokoto.
The event featured the distribution of Tricycles, Wheelchairs, special canes for the blind and other support equipment for persons with special needs, donated by MMAWT Legacy initiative.
In her speech which was televised live and later read in Hausa by her representative, the Special Adviser to the Governor on girl child Education, Dr Amamatu, the wife of the governor said she was delighted to be in a gathering with the sole purpose of sharing this historic day with brothers and sisters living with disabilities. She then narrated a personal story (reproduced at the end) of what her family went through as a result of a spinal injury which affected her mother.
The highlight of the event was was a paper presentation delivered by Dr Aisha of NACCRAN and Hajiya Amina Abdu Gusau of RHOWI titled : Transformation towards a sustainable and resilient society for all .
The major issues discussed bothered on inclusion of persons of disabilities in all facet of life , re-orienting mindsets , advocating for their human rights , data analysis and collation , ending stigma and stereo typing and empowerment .
other relevant messages delivered as goodwill were done by the representatives of the commissioner for Basic Education and of the Sultan of Sokoto in the person of Sarkin Yakin Gagi, the principal of A Adisa Raji Special School all of whom described this event as a leadership gesture that is very visionary being the first of its kind and since the inception of the school.
The Distribution of the support equipments was performed on behalf of the wife of the governor by Dr Amamatu Yusuf who also represented the Founder of MMAWT L.I at the occasion while the representative of the Sultan, DG SOSMEDA, Hajiya Laraba Dattijo, State APC Women leader, Hajiya Fatima Yarkangiwa and others also took turns to present the equipments to the students, members of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, and other beneficiaries drawn from other groups of people living with disabilities in Sokoto State and beyond .
Also in attendance were close associates of the wife of the governor , Dr Maryam Koko of the Usman Danfodio University Sokoto, members of NASFAT, Sokoto State chapter, Ansar’uddeen, Sokoto State chapter, Kungiyar Matan Aure, a delegation from the National Association of Nigerian Students, MMAWT legacy initiative Youth Vanguard, Kungiyar Makafin Wurno local government, Association of Sign language specialists, Youth Corp members , Hajiya Laraba Dattijo, Hajiya Aishatu Hassan Turai, DG SOSMEDA, Hajiya Zubaida Aliyu Dg on Private partnerships , Joint National Association of people living with disabilities, Sokoto State chapter and other dignitaries at the event. and various youth and women groups affiliated to MMAWT legacy initiative.
In his vote of thanks, the Sarkin Makafin Dogondaji, thanked the wife of the governor for the gesture and called on all his subjects to pray for the success of her initiatives and that of the Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal led administration.
Other beneficiaries who spoke also expressed their delight at the gesture and called on other well to do individuals to emulate such humanitarian assistance to the underprivileged .
Entertainments by Police band, School drama clubs , NYSC Corp Members and students of the school held sway and thereafter conferred on the wife of the governor, the title of : MOTHER OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS in appreciation for identifying with them .
Th event was rounded up by going round the dormitories and classrooms of the school to interact with the children .
Read below 
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THE COMPLETE SPEECH OF THE MMAWT LEGACY INITIATIVE’S FOUNDER IS REPRODUCED BELOW :
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
Assalamu alaykum and Good morning ,
As with the theme of marking this day : TRANSFORMATION TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT SOCIETY FOR ALLI am delighted to see you all here and for the sole Purpose of sharing this historic day with our brothers, Sisters and children living with disabilities .
We thank you all and like you can see they are not any different from us ! We are one and human beings first before fate or misfortune .As defined by Wikipedia ‘’International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3) is an international observance promoted by the United Nations since 1992. It has been celebrated with varying degrees of success around the World . The observance of the Day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities.
It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life’’Let me go on a personal journey here , a few years ago My late and beloved Mother was involved in a car crash where she had a slipped disk around her spinal cord area.
She had visited so many hospitals far and wide but she was alleged to have Atrithis!
She would go through very horrifying pains and some times could barely walk a distance .
This horrified us even as we empathized with her . My sister would massage her with every kind of healing balm you can imagine and religiously , yet temporary relief .
Physiotherapies, pain killers and hospital rounds were the order of the day .
I recall a time we were traveling to London and we ordered from the airline a wheel chair for her !
My mother was relieved she didn’t have to walk the distance in the Airport yet was very sad .
It dampened her spirit , so I took a photograph of her just to penetrate her thoughts .
She said to me ‘ I feel ashamed being on this chair and I don’t want people to see me like this ‘’ We laughed but it troubled me .
That a beautiful woman of a young age in her 50’s at the time was being depressed by her condition !!
My heart bled … and sometimes when she wants to pray her salat sitting down , she says please close my door as I don’t want my grandchildren to come into the room and watch me pray while sitting etc
If as educated and exposed as she was , she could care about what people would say either because of self pity , stigmatization or societal mockery .
Can we imagine what many other especially the younger ones feel and which may have led them to depression ?
Can we then understand why our children are being taken to the Middle East as a money making venture to go and beg for Alms ? Trafficking such beautiful children with special needs ?The irony was the fact that my beloved mother was being mislead to think it was Arthritis by some Lazy doctors .
What a great relief it was for us ? When she was properly diagnosed and told she had a disk shift hence the pain and trauma and only a surgery can change her situation .
Unfortunately , when we convinced her to agree to it , death came calling .
May her soul Rest In Peace !! AmeenAs God will have it , one of the MMAWT Director in person of Hajiya Hauwa Mohammed brought up the Issue of Spinal cord injuries and told me about her childhood friend’s story and her involvement in the RHOWL ( Rebuilding hope on wheels initiative )
And so the MMAWT journey into special needs began in earnest .
We scheduled several meetings and on finally Hajiya Amina who herself is a victim of road accident , we clicked instantly and I pledged my support to champion these cause !!
Alhamdulillah we are here today .All my life , when I see cripples , the blind , the handicapped , children and adult with special needs like Down syndrome , Autism etc on the street begging or as destitutes … it always infuriated me and remains an eyesore .
I know of a Mother who was a victim of a deadly motor accident and survived it in Lagos .
To our admiration when we as a group under the body of our secondary school Alumni went to that particular home for children of special needs in Lagos during the Easter period as an act of charity .
We were informed on how the survivor decided to invest a huge sum of money and resources to build a befitting home for such children as a way of showing appreciation to God for what he did in her life .
Such inspiring stories should be a yardstick for many of us to emulate , collectively or as groups .This brings me to the issue of victims of Autism and cerebral palsy especially in children .
Even more horrifying is watching them being made destitutes , curses upon and are avoided as irritants or a dangerous specie, because of their conditions largely as a result of the many superstitions propagated to stigmatize them .Nevertheless, persons and children with special needs are humans just like you and I.
All they need is love , protection , inclusion , care , support , counseling and therapies.We condemn the negative side of almajirism, many are exposed to dangers of accidents , rape , victims of ritualist, human trafficking , stigma of superstitions and poverty .
Only when we step up to do our bit by supporting schools like ABDULRASHID RAJI SPECIAL SCHOOL SOKOTO and other care homes for these class of people in the society , then can we begin to reduce or salvage the rot !!We as mothers , sisters , Aunties , brothers , uncles and Fathers have to take it upon ourselves to support people with disabilities and children of special needs .
The most talented people in the world today are from these class of persons .
Only when we nurture them to grow in confidence and hopefulness can we see the potentials in them !Their value should be beyond destitution , condemnation and stigmatization . They deserve to be empowered through trainings in skills acquisition and entrepreneurship , Education , scholarships , talent management and identification , Nutrition , Agriculture and more especially in this modern era of Technology .
Please let us all go back home today to reflect on our collective humanities .
As we thank Allah for the gift of life . Let us kindly ask ourselves , how have we used the gift of good health , wealth, opportunities and knowledge we possess to better the lives of these people ??Government in its Social welfare programs must not be seen to be the only ones supporting such causes .
It is our collective responsibility to care for our Neighbors’ and environment like all religions and culture in the world teaches .Let me conclude by this quote
‘’The human spirit is one of ability, perseverance and courage that no disability can steal away’’
MMAWT legacy initiative has made available Wheel chairs, special wheel bicycles and tricycles, learning aid kits for the blind and sticks to be donated to the less privileged persons in this class and also to encourage others who are capable to emulate , thereby making consistency a reality .
I salute all persons with disability and special needs on this graceful day and Stand here in spirit with you all .
Let me also seize this medium to thank the Management and personnel of this great school for their tireless effort in caring for these class of children and persons in the school .
Once again I salute the parents of such persons living with some form of disabilities for the care and emotional trauma it causes them .
Please do not relent , Your reward is in heaven and May Almighty Allah see you through .Thank you very much for listening , While I applaud all those individuals and stake holders who have contributed to making this event happen and God bless you all .
Those who have travelled far and wide , we wish you journey mercies .
