Disability and the Paradox of ‘Empowerment’: Disability Support in Southeast Nigeria

Disability and the Paradox of 'Empowerment': Disability Support in Southeast Nigeria Name: Okechukwu (Vincent) NwokorieSupervisor: Prof. (Dr). Patrick DevliegerMembers of Doctoral Guidance Committee: Prof. Dr. Mark Breusers (University of Leuven); Prof. Dr Pieter Verstraete (University of Leuven) SUMMARYThe concept of disability invokes an image of some flaws in the natural order. Stereotypes of everyday mean that the disabled person is often infantilised as fragile and in need of protection. To better understand to what extent disability may be characterised by fixed attributes, this work examines discourses on disability in Southeast Nigeria. Although Nigeria is home to an estimated 19 million persons living with disability, the country does not have disability legislation. Challenges associated with some disabilities mean that immediate and extended family members take on the role of (unpaid) caregivers to family members with a disability. Overall, 'empowerment' is the generic name for ad hoc support services for disabled persons on Nigeria. In it, the elites of the local community, church groups, philanthropic organisations, local NGOs and politicians play leading roles. Special events such as anniversaries, Christmas seasons, wealthy people's birthdays, investitures of new titles and campaigns prior to general elections often create occasions for ad hoc practices of disability support. By using interviews, (participant) observation, and (archival) documents with the network of disability organisations, policy makers and social service workers in Okohia and its environs in Southeast Nigeria, I followed 'empowerment' programmes and disabled persons' experiences of both empowerment and disability. Adapting Tim Ingold's 'world of materials' lens (Ingold, 2010, 2011a, 2013), the results of the study show that empowerment practices are forms of cultural 'performance' or 'drama,' which re-enforces the boundary of 'difference' and the fixed locations of the benefactors and beneficiaries of 'empowerment'. However, the ambiguity of disability means that this boundary is porous and difficult to maintain. The research concludes that 'empowerment' practices provide platforms for local elites and disability elites to 'ride' to fame on the backs of ordinary disabled persons to extend their own influence in the society. The name of 'disability' provides validation for the work of disability NGOs, yet disability NGOs in Nigeria lack quality control because they are not accountable in terms of full disclosure of records of funds received from donors and the patterns of their expenditures. The rise of 'empowerment' in Nigeria is part of the transformation of disability support infrastructure in which 'empowerment' is used to 're-attire' local cultural practices with the 'costume of modernity'. Findings of this research have opened the door for further conversations about more effective approaches to disability support in Nigeria.

Publication year:2020