Leadership remains the only means persons with disabilities can appropriate the opportunities that abound in the disability theme of diversity, equity, and inclusion that currently trends around the world.
Larry Ofolue emphasized this in his keynote address at the 2024 congress of the Nigeria Association of the Blind (NAB Lagos) during the week.
The event themed “Amplifying the Leadership of PWDs for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future” comprised curtain raisers like empowerment lectures on business insurance, and gender-based violence. Its highpoint was the election of the 2025 executives of the state chapter of the association.
According to Ofolue, having disabilities is a strike against any human being anywhere in the world. “It becomes double jeopardy if you are blind and poor,” the barrister stated.
Nine in every 10 PWDs in Nigeria live in poverty, according to The Borgen Project, an NGO focusing on poverty and hunger across the world
And preparing for leadership—which he captured as learning and taking interest in one’s environment—is the form of empowerment a blind person can have to beat poverty.
He, however, lamented the complacency prevailing among PWDs.
“We are not taking leadership seriously,” he said. He further drew a contrast from his experience as a blind person who prepared himself to earn every accomplishment he has made as a father, lawyer, and manager of human and other resources.
Further tying into the empowerment element of the congress, Elijah Akinyemi, a former permanent secretary in the ministry of education in Ogun, spoke on adoption of braille technology to improve blind children’s learning outcomes.
A financial education expert Laja Soniran anchored the segment on business intelligence and insurance for blind entrepreneurs.
Pamela Stephen, a gender advocate from the Centre for Women’s Health and Information, summed up GBV as a form of abuse to prove gender dominance. She encouraged blind women and girls going through it to speak up.
Lagos has recorded 24,009 GBV cases between 2019 and now, but there is no disaggregated data for those cases where PWDs are survivors. Which is why there is no specific policy yet addressing the violence to the most vulnerable segment of the population
The three-day congress, which outgoing Chairman Lukman and other executives coordinated, ended with the election of 12 new executives.
Taiwo Amao emerged as chairman, and Faith Ekenabor, deputy chairman.
Others include Oluwakemi Odusanya, secretary; Yetnde Banjo, public relations officer; Taofik Owoiya, treasurer; Bukola Ogunsanya, women leader; and Emmanuel Awiri, youth leader
