APC Chairman advocates ministerial slot for People with Disabilities
By Joel Oladele, Abuja
As Nigerians anticipate the announcement of President Bola Tinubu’s Ministers, the National chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu, has called on the President to consider Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in his administration.
Adamu made this appeal on Wednesday at a meeting with APC PWDs leaders across the six geopolitical zones and the 36 states including the FCT which was the first of its kind after the 2023 General Elections.
Adamu argued that PWDs is a community big enough to have a ministry judging from the fact that the country has ministries of women affairs and youths.
He therefore promised to take the campaign to the Federal and the state level to see what can be done so as PWDs can be considered both at federal and state appointments
“However, I don’t want to be promising everybody something, we would try to see how governors can patronise in appointing you as board members and get at least one Commissioner. It will go along way for you to know that we care.
“We would sit with the Federal and the state level to see what we can do along the prayers that one of us in the course of the interventions would be allowed.
“Now there is also a preposition and I take that very seriously. If we do have a ministry of women affairs and youths. I think this Constituency is big enough.
“The NWC will take whatever steps in appropriate way and when we meet the president to convey this message because for me it’s a message, it is not an assignment and it is my prayers we succeed, so that one of the ministries will be for the PWDs,” he said.
Meanwhile, the PWDs in a communique issued at the end of its leadership meeting held at the APC National Secretariat, appealed to President Tinubu to tackle head-on by prioritizing the concerns of Persons With Disabilities which includes; financial inclusion of PWDs, accessibility and economic development and empowerment among others.
“We call on the government to provide conditional income support to very poor households. In exchange, recipients will be required to meet key human capital development goals like school attendance, healthcare and nutrition, provide unconditional income support to elderly, extremely poor and disabled personst55, Create new job opportunities for young Nigerians from poor and underprivileged backgrounds.
“Introduce new social investment programs supporting the development of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) particularly among the poor.
“Our candid submission is that these investment programs will improve business productivity, widen access to affordable finance and capital markets and expand businesses such that beneficiaries can offer employment to others. These programs and initiatives will give priority access to Persons with Disability , women and young people.”
The group further called on President Tinubu to create a PWDs Ministry saddled with the onerous task of ensuring strict implementation of the letter and intent of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018.
“Equally, all six (6) PWDs Zonal leaders, State and FCT PWDs leaders should be given both federal and state appointments into MDAs. This call will go a long way to ensure political inclusion of capable and committed PWDs leaders of our party,” the communique read.
