The Centre for Infrastructural and Technological Advancement for the Blind (CITAB) has slammed the federal government for ignoring the Nigerian Farmcraft Centre for the Blind in Lagos, the only federal vocational school for visually impaired Nigerians, shut tight and gathering dust for over a year. This centre, under the watchful eyes of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, led by Dr. Betta Edu before Prof. Yeltiwad, seems to have been forgotten like an unwanted secret tucked away in a dark corner.
Jolomi George Fenemigho, Executive Director of CITAB, in Lagos today, did not mince words as he accused the government of playing a cruel little game of “now you see it, now you don’t” with the rights of the visually impaired. Apparently, the Ministry under Prof. Yilwatad’s leadership is masterful at turning a blind eye when it suits them.
“I ask this openly would the government tolerate any other federal school staying closed this long without immediate response? Picture a federal university in Nigeria left shut for a full year. There would be headlines, emergency measures, and nationwide uproar. Yet when it concerns people living with disabilities, that same urgency disappears, the support quietly fades away, and the silence becomes louder than ever,” Fenemigho declared.
“The government’s refusal to reopen the Farmcraft Centre is more than just negligence; it’s a shameless flirtation with the law, flagrantly violating Section 5(1) of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, which explicitly guarantees the right to education and vocational training for disabled Nigerians. But if this law were a spotlight, it’s shining somewhere else while the Ministry plays coy,” Fenemigho quipped.
He added, “Section 5 demands the government provide access, but it seems that access to the Ministry means ‘access denied.’ Locking the doors for over a year whispers a not so subtle message that the only thing being empowered here is government indifference.”
Fenemigho also drew a knowing smile as he pointed to Section 24 of the Act, which requires government agencies to promote inclusion. “Yet Ministries and Departments, especially the one led by minister Prof Yilwatad, seem to have perfected the art of exclusion, not just ignoring their responsibilities but giving the law the cold shoulder like an unwanted suitor. If avoidance were a game, they’d be experts in reading between the lines.”
He took a swipe at the mixed signals from the government. “Blind Nigerians are told to stop begging and acquire skills, yet the Ministry keeps the stadium locked where the game is supposed to be played. It’s as if they enjoy watching them try to run a race with one leg tied and then denying them the finish line a cruel tease they keep delivering.”
Fenemigho urged the National Assembly and the House Committee on Disability Matters to stop standing on the sidelines. “It’s time to call Prof. Yilwatad and Dr Sununu Ministry to account and remind them that the law isn’t an optional adornment. Sections 5 and 24 are crystal clear no more coy excuses, open the doors wide, and stop toying with people’s futures.”
He concluded, “The blind may not see the government’s neglect, but they feel its weight and they refuse to be left in the shadows any longer. It’s time to turn the light back on, no more hiding behind empty promises and whispered neglect.”
