10% Of All Safety Nets, Welfare Packages Allocated To The PWD- FG
The Albino Foundation Public Notice
By Ruby Leo
The Federal government yesterday revealed that about 10% of all its welfare packages meant to alleviate the living standards of Nigerians has been allocated to Persons with Disabilities.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Disaster Management & Social Development, Mallama Sadiya Umar Farouk who made this known added that the programmes which has already commenced across the country has a large number of persons with disabilities benefiting from the welfare packages.
The Minister who spoke through her permanent secretary, Mr Bashir Nura Alkali when the Management team of INCLUSION Magazine, led by it’s Chief Executive Office, Alhaji Hussaini Abdulrahman paid him a working visit pointed out that this present administration has special concerns for this sector of persons.
The Minister noted that the special concerns of President Buhari led to the signing of the Persons with Disability Act and subsequently the establishment of the ministry and the commission to cater for the needs of Nigerians.
His words, “you will find that on our programs, the NPOWER program, the conditional cash transfer program, and eventually even the school feeding program we made specific provisions for persons with disabilities”.
“Like the NPOWER program, I think we said 10% of whatever goes to PWD, the Commission is handling that, any other program that we are doing, like the conditional cash transfers, 10% of it was given to PWD”.
“They are the ones that will have the data, they are the ones that are much closer with these people”.
He advocated that the name Persons with Disabilities should be changed to persons with alternative abilities as according to him it is a better representation of the sector saying, “it shouldn’t be persons with disabilities. I remember at some point when the management was meeting, we said it shouldn’t be persons with disability but should be persons with alternative ability or alternate abilities”.
Earlier the Executive Secretary of the National Commission of Persons With Disabilities (NCPWD) Mr James Lalu said that due to the friendly policy of this administration his interactive with the Federal Mortgage Bank and the Federal Housing Authority yielded positive result with them promising to build houses for his members.
“Presently, we have problem of accessibility, so we are designing housing for PWD. They are ready to support 200 housing units in Abuja here, and 50 each in the 36 states of the federation for a start for persons with disabilities”.
The Chief Executive Officer of INCLUSION Magazine, Alhaji Hussaini Abdulrahman who intimated the minister on the vision of magazine said that publicizing events and activities for persons with disabilities would boost the economic development of the country.
He added collaborations and partnership would broaden the good works of the government since a lot are being done in the areas of improving the welfare of this sector.
