President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assured Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) of his government determination to building a fully inclusive Nigeria where everyone thrives irrespective of age, gender, ability or disabilities.
The Minster of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu presented the president assurance during the 2023 International Day of Persons with Disability in Abuja organized by the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD).
Dr. Edu said ”President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Is interested in presence with disabilities. He believes that you have a central place in government, and that your contribution to the development of Nigeria remains foremost on the front burner in our country. He is prepared and committed to doing everything possible to see that persons with disabilities take the center stage in our country’s development. He began that by signing the African Charter for Persons with Disability, which ensures that your rights are being protected. We are celebrating today 5 years of having a law that protects you. This law must be domesticated in all the states in Nigeria,
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved that 10 % of every intervention in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation be directed to persons with disability. There are 21 programs, 10 % have been allocated to persons with disability.
“In simple terms, if the president from his speech has said clearly that 50 million persons would be pulled out of poverty in Nigeria, 10 % of that 50 million is for peasants with disability.
“We are going to have a new budget approved for 2024. We are pleading with our dear National Assembly members. The budget allocation to NCPWD is low. on behalf of 35 million Nigerians, who fall within this category, we are pleading with the very dynamic and comitted leadership we have at the National Assembly, please improve on the budget for The Commission, For Disabled Persons in Nigeria.
“As part of activities to mark this day, we are giving out a lot of assistive devices that will be distributed to persons living with disability across Nigeria. We are just showing you the symbolic one in frontier. They will be distributed to states and all the way down to people in local governments.
“We have the Orbits Reader, Brail Wrist Watch, and Collapsible Guide Cane. We also have the iPhone PRO max with Optical Characters the Slits, Silos, the Jaws Screen Readers, Laptop With Jaws, Talking Watch, Topping Calculator, Tinted Glasses, Digital Magnifiers, Low Visual Lamps, The Carry Special Border, The Building Blocks For CWA , Talking Toys For CWA , Doorbell For The Deaf, and Speech To Text For The Deaf.
“There Are Also Latin Devices, The Digital Hearing AIDS, The HP Laptops, Sewing Machines, Hair Dryers, Hair Clippers, Wheelchairs, Tri Cycles, Clutches For The Armpits, Clutches For The Elbows, amongst other assisted devices that will be distributed across Nigeria.
“Indeed, renewed hope is here, and life must be made easy for persons living with disability.
“Finally, to all of you, an inclusive society is your right. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu stands for you with all his might. He has said that your rights must be protected, your rights must be prioritized. Do not let anyone look down on you, do not let anyone play down on your potentials, do not let anyone directly or indirectly push you to the back burner. You represent Nigeria and what Nigeria stands for. We’re right behind you to give you all the support. Again, I say happy International Day. “