The governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde recently honoured some of his aides who have performed wonderfully well. Barr. Ayodele Adekanmbi was one of them. He is the Executive Assistant to the governor on Disability Matters. For those who may not know, the visually impaired Adekanmbi has a track record as an achiever. He is well-educated and quite exposed. He had previously served in the same capacity he’s currently serving during the administration of late former governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala. Like the title of one of his initiatives, ‘Beyond The Limit’, Adekanmbi has really pushed his life beyond all barriers despite all the ridicules he faced as a person with disability. But, how did he make it to the top, despite his situation? How has dealing with persons with disability been for him? How easy or challenging has it been for him working with Governor Seyi Makinde? What great lesson has his situation as a visually-impaired person taught him about life? All these and many other critical questions were addressed by Adekanmbi in this interesting interview with City People’s Correspondent, DARE ADENIRAN (08057639079). It was quite revealing and at the same time emotional session with this highly-intelligent man of many word. Adekanmbi is definitely a special breed. Below are the excerpts.
How easy or difficult has it been for you as the Executive Assistant to Governor Seyi Makinde on Disability Matters?
It has been easy and at the same time challenging. I won’t use the word difficult. When you look at the situation we found ourselves as persons with disability, we are a set of people who lack love from family, friends, colleagues in the work place, worship centers etc. We lack love in all areas. That makes a lot of our people to always be in haste to get things done. For example if you promise somebody that is visually- impaired that tomorrow am giving you something, before you wake up from your bed in the morning, as early as 5am, they have started calling you on the phone. That is the persons with disability for you. Even if they write request letters to the government or to me personally, they are always in a rush. Because they lack love in every aspect of life. So, once they ask you for something they want it as urgent as possible. You know it’s love that makes one fulfill promises on time. I think when you came in, you could see some provisions I just bought. They are for my son, tomorrow is their Open Day. I’m going there to visit him. But while I was young, nobody did that for me because I live with disability. They prefer to do it to abled body children who are my siblings. Before they think of me, they think of the very last person in the family. So that makes it to be challenging. They are always in a rush. They are always aggressive and they also want everything at the same time. But God has given me a special talent to be able to deal with them. Like I used to tell people that the job I am doing is not a job really. It’s a calling. It’s a vision that God has given me. It’s a vision I must fulfill. I’m a lawyer, for instance, I have my chamber but I don’t go there. I have never appeared in court. I have lawyers that appear for me. I get briefs here and there but this is my calling. Like every morning, I go to work, I see myself as going to Church to preach. Like going for evangelism to win souls. And these people come with different kinds of requests and want you to meet their needs immediately. Of course, I can’t meet all needs immediately but you see them coming in sad and going out happy. Why? Because, it’s a calling. It’s God that tells me what to tell them at all times. Because even in government there are challenges. You see all these bureaucracies. Government’s ways of getting things done is not as easy as you feel. You must write, get approval and wait for the money. And must retire what you have gotten. The number one challenge is how to put their requests in writing. Before you now move it from one table to another. If you don’t have wisdom, you may never get results. But to God be the glory. I want to tell you that it has been easy because God has given one the wisdom to get things done.
In summary, what are your achievements since you came on board as the Executive Assistant on Disability?
Quite a number of things. The governor himself has been very friendly. If you are an executive assistant, especially dealing with civil service bureaucracy, and you don’t have Disability-friendly governor, you won’t get nothing. But to God be the glory we have gotten quite a number of achievements. One, employment. The number one mandate that His Excellency has given to me is employment for persons with disability. We have employed 150 persons with disability as teachers in Oyo State. That is unprecedented. No government in this state, quote me, has employed that number of persons with disability. The affected persons were also spared of going through the rigorous employment process. The governor gave approval that we should just do mere interviews for them rather than doing CBT. We have the association of different clusters to present those of them that are qualified for the teaching job. Let me also talk about political appointments. No government in this country, quote me anywhere, and this is our scorecard in Nigeria. Oyo State stands out as number one government that has given political appointments to persons with disability. 20 supervisory councilors in 20 local governments and 13 special assistants, making 33 political appointments for the persons with disability in the state. Isn’t that commendable? When you look at the situation, every other state in this country, the largest they give is senior special assistant. The governor went ahead and gave me an assistant, Special Assistant on Special Needs. He gave us another guy as a special assistant to the governor. Making 35 political appointments including myself. Then to the students, because education is one of the key agendas of this administration. The equipments that we use is different from what normal students use. The special equipments are so expensive. In this administration, we have been able to buy some of the equipments in year 2020. The governor just approved another set now that we are bringing in for all the special schools in the state. For the teachers that we employed to have equipments to train others. The equipments are worth more than 75 million naira. We also have our own books. I mean people that are visually- impaired. We have braille books that we use our hands to read. The governor has also approved transcription of textbooks for students with vision impairment. Somebody that is blind like myself now can’t just get out there and get petty jobs. I can’t be a gateman, I can’t ride bike. So if you’re visually-impaired, you have two options either you study and have your certificate or find yourself on the road as a beggar. It is very important for any government that really loves persons with disability, just like Gov Seyi Makinde has done, to think of getting equipments and books for visually-impaired persons to succeed in life. Again, we have special schools all around. Quite a number of our schools are boarding schools and presently as I speak government will use about 8.5 million naira to feed the boarders that are special students in all the schools in Oyo State monthly. Also, empowerment is from time to time. People come here to make all kinds of demands all the time, and His Excellency is open to that all the time. So, as I speak now, the major thing that His Excellency promised my people, which is the agency for persons with disability, would be announced any moment from now. It’s an executive bill that has gone through the first and second readings. By next week, we’ll have the third reading. That bill is going to be the best bill. It’s called Oyo State Agency for Persons with Disability. We have been on it for almost three years now . It’s been difficult because am part and parcel of the one we did at the federal level. The Federal government’s bill produced the National Commission for Persons With Disability. We were on the bill for ten years. Upon the assent of signature by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018, we realized that most of the things we put in the bill had been removed either by the lower or upper chambers. One, the composition of the Board. There is a popular saying that “nothing about us without us”. In that bill, I remember they left out where we have the Chairman of the Board and the executive secretary that was decided to be given to persons with disability. So, we have decided to put that in Oyo State’s bill that will establish our agency. For persons with disability to be the chairman, director-general, etc. That persons with disability must occupy 50% of the positions in the agency. In the Federal government’s own persons with disability only occupy 30%. All these amendments we have been able to achieve and His Excellency really supported us. In fact, he was the one who even forwarded the bill to the House because it’s an executive bill. So by the time we have the bill in place, we know that we have solved almost 80% of the problems of the persons with disability. We have been able to achieve all these.
How did you find your way to the top despite the ridicule and many challenges as a visually-impaired person?
Determination. I was determined to make it in life, despite all the ridicules. I was so determined and God had destined it that I will become great.
You also carry yourself in such a way that people sometimes wonder if you are truly blind. How do you do it?
Dare, let me tell you something. If you have been ridiculed or intimidated before, you will definitely understand me. I have been ridiculed before. I have seen hatred of the highest order before. When you see all of that, you would want to prove to people that yes, you have ridiculed me even though I can’t see but I want to show you that truly I can’t see but I can do what you think I can’t do. I want to show you that even with my situation I can do what you are doing and even more.
There must be that thing you feel you should do but can’t do because of your situation?
Except for the fact that I can’t see. Like one of my friends, Kent, a blind lecturer from US used to tell me that, “Ayo, we can’t see but we need to be a step ahead of everybody who can see at all times. So that we won’t die an untimely death”.
I want to be different at all times. I’m a visually-impaired person with a difference and that difference is due to my determination. I’m determined to turn that disability to ‘this ability’. One thing you must have also noticed about me is that I don’t see myself as somebody who lives with disability. Yes, I refer myself as ‘afoju’ at all times because I don’t want people to feel they can use that to get at me. If you call an ordinary visually- impaired person an ‘afoju’, he would feel offended. But me the first thing I will tell you is that see, I am blind but I don’t care.
What is the greatest lesson the ridicules and challenges you have been through in life as a visually-impaired person have taught you?
Not to look down on anybody. Don’t even think anybody wouldn’t get to where you are. See everybody as equal. Treat people well because anybody can become anything in life.
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