The Karmajiji Disabilities Community in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has pledged the support of more than 500 eligible voters for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Mrs Rahina Haruna, the community’s women leader, made the pledge in an interview with reporters in Abuja on Thursday.
Haruna said that despite the challenges facing residents, they were ready to support Tinubu’s re-election bid.
“The population of physically challenged and the virtually challenged in the community is growing. Right now, if you visit our neighbourhood, both our men, women, and students—we have reached about 500 voting people.
“We pray that God elevates Tinubu’s administration even more, so that we can enjoy the fruits of past efforts, and that God makes the future prosperous and blessed for us all,” she said.
However, Haruna decried the severe daily hardships residents face due to flooded ditches, open gutters and the lack of motorable access roads connecting the community to the main expressway along the Airport Road corridor.
“The road that comes from the main road to Karmajiji—if you go there now, you will feel pity for us.
“Even within Karmajiji proper, there are no proper roads. The gutters and ditches we have to navigate present serious difficulties before we can even reach the main road,” she said.
Haruna appealed to the FCT Administration to construct an access road to ease movement into and out of the community.
She said that although residents appreciated past government support, current economic pressures, coupled with growing family sizes and rising food prices, had left many struggling to feed their families and send their children to school.
On healthcare, Haruna said the community’s primary healthcare centre lacked the capacity to handle major emergencies, including blood transfusions and critical labour complications.
She added that community members frequently faced discrimination and social stigma when seeking medical attention at general hospitals in Abuja’s city centre.
“When we go to use facilities within the city centre, they treat us as if we are not human beings. The places where we can receive proper, non-discriminatory care are in faraway Gwarinpa or Gwagwalada.
“We are calling on the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, to facilitate the expansion of our clinic so that we can be treated like normal human beings,” she said.
Haruna also appealed to the First Lady to facilitate the completion of the senior secondary school project in the community.
She said the commencement of the project had initially raised hopes of improved access to education and better roads in the neighbourhood, but construction had since stalled.
“We are calling on the First Lady to help complete the school project so that our children do not have to travel far,” she said.
