The Executive Director of the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities, David Anyaele, has revealed how President Bola Tinubu came to his rescue after Sierra Leonean rebels amputated his hands in 1999.
Anyaele spoke on Friday evening during the Nkata Umuibe monthly speakers’ series organised by the Centre for Memories (CFM) in Enugu, with the theme “Onye Aghana Nwanne Ya.”
Recounting his ordeal, Anyaele said he was attacked by fighters of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) while on a business trip to Freetown, Sierra Leone.
The RUF rebels, who waged war in the country between 1991 and 2002, amputated his hands simply because he was Nigerian.
He said that despite his pleas for mercy, the rebels mutilated him and left him for dead before Nigerian-led ECOMOG troops rescued and rushed him to a hospital, saving his life.
“That experience changed my world as I suddenly found myself in the disability community without knowing what the future held,” he said.
Anyaele disclosed that after his story was televised, he wrote to several state governments, including those in the South-East, seeking assistance for medical treatment abroad but received no positive response.
He, however, said that when he sent the same appeal to then Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu, the governor promptly directed medical personnel to examine him.
He said the doctors’ report recommended overseas treatment, which led to his rehabilitation in Germany where artificial hands were fitted.
“I must thank the Tinubu administration and the good people of Lagos State for their hospitality,” Anyaele said.
The disability rights activist lamented the level of discrimination and neglect faced by persons with disabilities in Igboland, saying many were still being stigmatised and excluded from community life.
He urged the people of the South-East to embrace inclusion and stop discriminating against persons with disabilities, warning that “disability can happen to anyone at any time.”
Anyaele commended Governor Alex Otti of Abia State for establishing the Abia State Disability Commission and called on Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State to replicate the initiative to promote inclusion and equal opportunity for all.
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