A Letter To Access Bank From Blessing Mary Ocheido #RampUpNigeria

Blessing Mary Ocheido is a Pharmacist, an Author and also the Director of Platinum Interventions Care Initiative in Nigeria.

Platinum Interventions Care Initiative is an NGO that caters for internally displaced persons, street kids and disabled individuals locally. 

With her recent experience at Access Bank, Ms Blessing took to her facebook timelime to raise a voice for disabled individuals by calling on Access Bank, all Banks and Federal Government of Nigeria to #RampUpNigeria 


Her Letter says

Dear Access Bank,

I use a wheelchair and needed to make use of your MoneyGram services sometime last week and upon visiting one of your facilities, the closest to my work place in Kubwa, Abuja, I realized that there were no accessibility ramps to enable me enter the building. Even your doors are too small to fit a wheelchair.

I asked your security personnel if there were other entrances into the bank that I could use instead and they replied that there were none. So I was left with the option of waiting under the sun while they went in to make inquiries on my behalf.

Upon his return, the security man said I would have to go into the bank to be attended to. And seeing as there was simply no way for me to do that, except maybe to be lifted up in his arms, I had to leave.

There are over 20 million people with disabilities in Nigeria, a good number of whom make use of wheelchairs. So you can imagine the large demographic of people to whom you've shut out of accessing your banking services. You would agree with me that this is not right.

I'm speaking out on behalf of people like me and kindly requesting that you build disability ramps in all your facilities and make your mantrap doors wheelchair-friendly.

Thanks in anticipation of your speedy response.

#RampUpNigeria

Her post on Facebook has gotten 943 likes 113 Comments and 378 Shares as at 20:35pm Nigeria Time.

These pictures were taken while she sat in the sun waiting for the security man to confirm another entrance into the banking hall for her to make her transactions, an effort which proved futile.

#RampUpNigeria is her call to raise awareness for disabled individuals living in Nigeria.