World Radio Day;
By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
As the World commemorates Radio Day, a Disability and Social Inclusion Activist Mr. Mainas Ayuba has lamented the exclusion of hearing impaired individuals from the benefits associated with listening to radio.
Mainas, who is the acting chairman of Bauchi State Network of Persons with Disabilities, in a press release, said that, going by this year’s theme “Radio: A century informing, entertaining and educating”, shows that hearing impaired individuals are denied these benefits.
He pointed out that all the information through the Radio from the government, corporate organizations, individuals, etc to the listeners citizens do not reach a segment of persons with disabilities especially the hearing impaired and hard-of-hearing.
“The Radio services as one of the credible and critical medium of mass mobilization and call-to-action for or against an issue isolates the deaf community, infringing on their right to information”.
“Not considering/ including persons with Deafness or hard-of-hearing in Radio content, is evidence of not recognizing the provisions of the National Discrimination (Prohibition) Act 2018 by over 740 Radio (Broadcast) stations across the Country”, said Mainas.
The activists stressed that the government’s plan to expand the community Radio as a tool to strengthen the nation’s democracy is seen as a systemic discrimination that further pushes persons with deafness to the brink.
He proffered that persons with disabilities are calling on the government at all levels to utilize other forms of communication to reach them.
“It is our desire to see that, the Radio become a platform to access to information, education and entertainment by over 30 million persons with disabilities in Nigeria”.
“Technology has a greater role in providing access to Radio content and broadcast to persons with disabilities, particularly the deaf community”, Mainas said.
The disability activist concluded by saying that, the principle of Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) of “Leaving No One Behind” should be upheld by not leaving the hearing impaired behind, adding that, “persons with deafness are outrightly left out not.We say no to marginalization”.
Our correspondent reports that World Radio day was set aside in 2011 by the Member States of UNESCO to acknowledge the contributions of Radio as an influential mass media.The day was officially adopted as UN International Day by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 and it is officially celebrated on 13 February every year.
The theme for the 2024 Radio Day is “Radio: A century informing, entertaining and educating.”
