Yemi Adedeji, Abuja
Steffen Helbing, Envoy to the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), and a German politician, all Persons living With Disabilities (PWDs) in Nigeria would have access to all public places by 2030.
Helbing who disclosed this in Abuja while unveiling a worldwide emergency app developed to stem the rate of criminality the world over and in Nigeria in particular, said he has been working tirelessly with a Nigerian partner to make sure the target is achieved.
The app named ‘Project Hieron Hand Help’ is capable of relaying real time information wherever and whenever any criminal activity or natural disaster is taking place or natural disaster.
According to him, “for the past one year, we have been working together in Nigeria to helping people with disabilities, protect them and give them better opportunities. We are working tirelessly to ensure that by 2030 all people with disabilities in Nigeria can access all public places. We will try to make this happen by 2030.”
Giving an insight on how the app works, he said he app is important for children, women and indeed everybody to protect them against kidnapping, robbery, violence, fire among others.
He said: “anywhere there is an attack, immediately you press this application, it will signal globally and the direct coordinate of your location at the point of that particular incident will be traced.
Helbing added that the application could also be used where there is no internet service because message or notification would be sent to the numbers of family members, relatives, friends saved on the app as helpers.
Also, Aminu Zakari, his partner in Nigeria and the Director, Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Studies, said that the security app is very sensitive, adding that with the app, wherever criminal activities or fire occurrence or any natural disaster is taking place, the numbers of the persons saved as helpers would receive SMS, alerting them that the person is in danger.
He said the app is available on Google play store, and it can be used for a month free, but as an annual subscription fee of €1.
Zakari explained that, “In the case of Nigeria where we don’t have short emergency number, the numbers of friends, relatives, family members or police can be saved on the app, and whenever there is emergency of any kind, those numbers will be notified, through SMS and email message to show the person is in danger.
“The good thing about the app is that the particular location or coordinate of where the person is will be sent to the numbers of the people the individual has saved on the app.
“We are linking up with the Inspector General of Police to be able to discuss how extensive we can partner with the government and get this to individual,” he said.