Persons With Disabilities (PWDs)’s dreams of benefitting from the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) palliative from the Federal Government is turning out a mirage in Taraba State.
The National Commission of Persons With Disabilities had approved cash transfer for 50,000 PWDs all over the country as COVID-19 palliative.
But to access the fund in Taraba, the state government, according to a letter by the commission, must help in facilitating the process at the state level.
Tagged ‘COVID-19 Palliative Programme for PWD: Data collection’, the Taraba government, is expected to work closely with officials of the commission to effectively enumerate PWDs in the state.
The letter, which was signed by the Executive Secretary of the Commission, James Lulu, reads: “The peculiarities of the exercise required team work between the commission and the state government. It is, therefore, hoped that Your Excellency will facilitate the conduct of the exercise to guarantee the inclusion of all PWDs in the programme.”
Slated for August 12 and 18, the nationwide collation of data did not take place in Taraba, the situation, which left the members frustrated.
Piqued by the development, the state chapter of the association believed that their dreams of benefiting from the cash transfer had been dashed.
Expressing dismay over the inability of the state government to do the needful for the group to benefit from the programme, the state chairman of the association, Sadiq Mohammed, who made copy of the letter available to media, yesterday, urged the commission to adopt other measures that would enable it carry the members along.
Beckoning the commission to fashion out ways of ensuring that PWDs in the state were not denied the fund, he said the token would go a long way in putting smile on the faces of his members.
The exercise is aimed at empowering over 1,000 PWDs in the state with N50,000 each, to discourage them from street begging.