Spinal cord injury patients in Bauchi State have appealed to the government to establish a physiotherapy and comprehensive rehabilitation centre to ease the burden of unaffordable daily therapy sessions.
Chairman of the Spinal Cord Injury Association of Nigeria (SCIAN), Bauchi Chapter, Mr Ilya Ismail, made the plea during a sensitisation exercise organised by Yankari Express Corporation at its motor park in Bauchi.
Ismail commended the management of the state-owned transport company for commemorating the day with spinal cord patients and stressed that the facility would improve their quality of life.
“Many of us cannot afford the cost of daily physiotherapy exercises. If the government establishes a comprehensive rehabilitation centre, it will greatly reduce the hardship we face,” he said.
Speaking at the event, the general manager of Yankari Express Corporation, Engr. Babaji Yunusa assured continued support for spinal cord patients and pledged that the corporation’s drivers would maintain strict professionalism and compliance with traffic regulations.
Yunusa said the motor park was deliberately chosen for the sensitisation programme, given the link between auto crashes and spinal cord injuries.
“When you talk about spinal cord issues, accidents—mostly road crashes—are the major cause. Drivers must therefore avoid overspeeding, overloading and reckless driving, which are the root causes of such incidents,” he stated.
He disclosed that the corporation works closely with Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) who examine all vehicles before departure to ensure safety and prevent road mishaps.
Recounting a tragic case, Yunusa narrated how a University of Maiduguri student sustained a spinal cord injury after refusing to wait for a Yankari Express vehicle and boarding another commercial vehicle that later crashed.
“He told us that if he had known, he would have waited even for one year for our vehicle rather than take that fatal trip that changed his life forever,” the GM said.
The sensitisation exercise served as a reminder of the devastating consequences of road accidents, as both passengers and drivers were urged to adopt safety-first attitudes on the road.
