"We refused to March because we came from Ground Zero" President Close the Gap

The president of the Kumba-based handicapped Association known as Close the Gap, Ayah Takang Ayuk made this declaration to this reporter after attending a one-week symposium in Yaounde organized by Douglas Achingale.

In the symposium titled, "how to overcome the challenges of Disability," the participants were impacted with the knowledge to overcome the challenges of Disability and other aspects affecting disabled persons in society.

One of the side attractions of the symposium was a March to thank president Paul Biya "for uplifting people with Disabilities in Cameroon"

But according to Takang, the symposium participants from the North West and Southwest regions refused to participate.

While lauding the initiative of the organizers of the symposium to educate disabled persons on various aspects of their plight, Takang said participants from the Northwest and Southwest regions refused to participate in the march not because they are against president Paul Biya but for fear of being targeted by the separatists since the support march was carried by various TV stations and later published in various newspapers.

"You know we are from ground zero and afraid of being targeted by the separatists,"

He further stressed that he and his fellow disabled persons from the Northwest learned a lot from the one-week symposium that took place in Yaounde.

Close the Gap was represented by five members.

Takang Ayah Ayuk was speaking to this reporter in Kumba on Saturday 6th August 2022.