By Lilian U. Okoro
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Tunde Alara, has identified sporting activities as instruments that boost the social skills, physical fitness and mental well-being of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
Alara, represented by Alara Oluwasegun, a Lawyer, made the assertion at the 17th Edition Inter-house Sports of the Down Syndrome Foundation Nigeria (DSFN) on Wednesday in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the inter-house sports featured many activities including march-past, egg race, sack race, fishing game, blind folding race, fill-in-the-bottle and fill-in-the-basket game.
Other activities featured in the inter-house sports included walking race, 50 and 100 metres race for boys and girls from some selected special schools across Lagos State.
The children were grouped into four different houses/teams comprising Ivory house in blue colour, NSIA house in yellow colour, Opeodu house in red colour and Somolu house in green colour.
Alara, who was the Chairman of the occasion, said that the inter-house sports was a means of portraying awareness and total inclusion of persons with disabilities in the society particularly those with down syndrome.
According to him, sports is a therapeutic procedures for psychological and mental development, saying that the programme serves as a means of giving people with disabilities a sense of belonging.
He, therefore, urged the public to shun all forms discrimination/stigmatisation against PWDs and incorporate them into the society because they were also humans created by God.
“The essence of the the inter-house sports activities is to boost the self esteem, social skills, physical fitness, psychological and mental well-being of the children.
“The society needs to stop discriminating people with disabilities; they should be given that sense of belonging because we are all human,” he said.
Speaking, the National Coordinator of DSFN, Mrs Nike Dennis, said the inter-house sports was one of the activities used by the Foundation to mark the World Down Syndrome Day celebrated annually on March 21.
Dennis said it was also an opportunity for the children to showcase their talents and abilities.
According to her, lack of adequate sport facilities has been a major challenge facing the programme for long now, having being in existence over 15 years ago.
Dennis, therefore, called on parents, organisations, philanthropists and governments to assist with provision of basic sporting facilities and sponsorships to aid development of the programme, which had made enormous impacts on the lives of people with down syndrome.
Also, Mr Joseph Obah, Chairman, Board of DSFN, said that the programme was an indication that people with down syndrome could participate in various sports activities as well as all endeavours of life.
According to him, the inter-house sports has made massive impacts in the lives of children with down syndrome, saying that it has produced athletes that have participated in international Olympics.
“The children were grouped into four different houses/teams; which is way of encouraging team work spirit, unity and togetherness among them,” he said.
Obah, therefore, called for total inclusion of young adults with down syndrome in the society particularly in the workforce.
He said that their rights should be protected like every other human being in the society.
“With their performance today, it shows that there is nothing they cannot do.
“People with down syndrome need to be integrated into every aspects of life particularly into the workforce to enable them contribute to economic development.
“That is why we are clamouring for equity and inclusion of all because we all have equal rights.
“Let no one be left behind, not even people with disabilities,” Obah said.
Also, Moyosore Ijaye, a down syndrome person, expressed satisfaction and excitement over the inter-house sports activities.
Ijaye said the programme gave him the opportunity to exercise and display his talents, saying that he participated in march-past, walking race and many other activities featured in inter-house sports.
According to him, he looks forward to seeing and participating in more activities of this kind in the future.
Somolu house in green colour emerged the overall winner of the game with six gold medals, six silver medals and one bronze.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Vivian Ihechu
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