John Adoyi, PBA Journalism Mentee
It is an atmosphere of jubilation in the disability community at the University of Nigeria Nsukka as the University’s Faculty of Arts elected a person with disability into the faculty’s House of Representatives.
Manifest Eja who is a visually impaired student of the Department of Mass Communication, was elected into the Faculty of Art’s 2021-2022 parliament, becoming the first person with disability to hold the position in the faculty.
Speaking with Prime Business Africa, the elated Manifest Eja said: “This is a bold step that I am glad to have taken. I am glad that my department saw me fit to represent them at the faculty level,” Manifest said.
Continuing, Manifest said: “Persons with disabilities have been looked down on as persons that are beggars and persons that cannot participate in politics, but the Faculty of Arts has shown people that a blind person can do what others with eyes have been doing.”
He added: “This is the first among many to come for persons with disabilities in the Faculty of Arts and other faculties in the school.”
The inauguration of the new government of the faculty took place on Tuesday, January 17.
Prime Business Africa gathered that Persons with disabilities (PWDs) at the University have been contesting to be presidents in various faculties of the school but their efforts have been abortive.
Only at the departmental level that PWDs have held positions of Public Relations Officer and other positions but not presidency.
In schools like the University of Jos, University of Lagos and Amadu Bello University, PWDs have held positions at the Student Union Government level and as presidents in various faculties.
In 2018, two other visually impaired students were elected into the same House of Representative in the Social Science Faculty from the Department of Psychology.
Congratulations 🎉 Manny keeps breaking limits.