As the countdown gets tighter to this year’s African Amputee Football Cup of Nations (AAFCON) in Egypt, players, coaches and officials of Nigeria’s Special Eagles have made a solemn appeal for aid from the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
This year’s AAFCON is billed to commence in Cairo, Egypt on April 18th, with Nigeria already placed in Group A alongside Burundi, Cameroon, and the host country in a 16-team championship.
The Special Eagles have been camped and training at Lagos National Stadium for a month but, with days rolling by and no improvement in their welfare, members of the team have now virtually gone cap in hand with a plea to the humanitarian ministry.
While taking into consideration that AAFCON 2024 will also serve as Africa’s only qualification route for the Amputee Football World Cup in 2026, members of the Special Eagles stressed the importance of them being present when the trumpet sounds for the commencement of healthy hostilities in Egypt on April 18th.
With that in view, a cross section of players and crew members spoken to at the Special Eagles’ camp reckoned that the impact of government in their affairs can be best felt through involvement of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, with its various departments and agencies.
Particular mention went out to the ministry’s special needs department, which has specific roles in supporting the desires of people with disabilities (PWD), which the amputee footballers represent in a highly positive way.
An official of the team explained, “The Special Needs Department’s mission statement includes responses on issues relating to and affecting people with disabilities in Nigeria.
“This is why we are soliciting for support and aid of various dimensions from the ministry to help this our team that has people with disabilities.”
The official also echoed a unanimous call from members of the squad for far-reaching attention to their plight as well from the ministry’s Special Duties Department, National Commission for Persons With Disabilities (NCPWD) and the House Committee on Disabilities.
“It is our belief that any one of these government institutions individually or collectively can turn our plight around for the better and make true our hope of not only representing Nigeria at the AAFCON but also qualify for the Amputee Football World Cup.
“We heard the executive secretary of the commission, James David Lalu, say they are empowered to promote an inclusive society for persons with disabilities. They also prevent discrimination of PWDs.
Amputee Football Nations Cup (1)
“That’s why we are appealing to the ministry, the departments, commission, agencies and House of Reps to help us with sponsorship that will improve our camp conditions and make our trip to Egypt possible,” the official expatiated.
He concluded with a plea to the Special Needs Department in particular to set the ball rolling and lead the charge of making amputee footballers visible ambassadors and symbols of the common refrain that there is ‘ability in disability.’
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