•John and Janet Paul
Nigerians have rallied behind a visually impaired couple, John and Janet Paul, who were allegedly asked to vacate their rented apartment in Abuja by their landlady due to their disabilities.
During an interview with our correspondent, the couple claimed that their landlady issued them a quit notice after discovering they were blind, after living in the house peacefully for years, reports Sunday PUNCH.
John narrated, “Things have been very difficult for us. Our landlady has been pressuring us to leave her house, and she has been saying all sorts of things to us. We got the house through an agent and lived here peacefully until she moved in last year. Since then, she has been making it clear that she doesn’t want to live with blind people.”
Dismissing any allegations of unpaid rent, Paul added, “No, we are not owing her. She served us a quit notice last month, saying she wanted to renovate the house. However, finding another place to stay will cost us a lot of money, which we cannot afford.”
Following the couple’s ordeal, several Nigerians took to social media to express their outrage and call for assistance for them.
A Facebook user, Temitope Abiola, urged this paper to organise a crowdfunding campaign for the couple.
He wrote, “…Please let us do a GoFundMe for this family. They need help. To the landlady, please note God is the landlord of us all. It is nothing if you allow them to live in your apartment for free. This is your worship to God Almighty, not when you go to church and shout hallelujah 100 times.”
Another user, Samuel Zacheus, condemned the discrimination against the visually impaired, saying, “Their story is so touching. Discrimination against people living with disabilities should be eschewed in every form…kindly provide their account details; good-spirited people will rise to their help.”
Similarly, Stlivingstone Ekanem offered to assist if they were in his city.
“I wish they were in Jos; I would have given them a free apartment in my estate. However, let us work out an arrangement for us who wish to support them. Blindness is not a crime, and nobody wishes to be blind. Be kind to them.”
