Yobe JONAPWD Lament Exclusion From Welfare Initiatives Of Senate President, Lawan

The Joint Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), in Jakusko local Government of Yobe State has called on the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan to extend his philanthropic gestures to persons with disabilities in Yobe North constituency.

Secretary of the Association, Haruna Tata Buduwa in a chat with Inclusive News Network, INN commended the Senate President for representing the constituency well, but however lamented that PWDs were being left out in several initiatives from his office.

“I want to make this clarion call to Senate president Dr. Ahmed Lawan to include PWDs in his aids in our Zone Yobe North. He has given so many things to several people in the constituency but persons with disabilities are excluded.

He is from their Constituency but members of the disability community have not benefitted from any palliatives in that constituency. On behalf of all PWDs in that zone, I am making a clarion call to the Senate President to provide aids for PWDs in his constituency,” he said.

Corroborating Baduwa’s plea, Disability advocate and Yobe North Zone Chairman of JONAPWD, Usaini Aji Salam said Senator Lawan had done commendably well since he ventured into the Senate, but he urged him to ensure that PWDs felt his impact as well.

“He has not done anything for PWDs, nevertheless he is doing well in his constituency but did not include PWDs in his welfare initiatives across the senatorial zone. All groups of PWDs are worried about that, it is our privilege to benefit from his initiatives because PWDs is a group of people with special needs in any situation.

“Furthermore the President of the Senate has to form a committee to monitor the problems and needs of PWD so that there will be a way out for what has been their obstacle for long.”

Also speaking, a rights advocate of PWDs in the zone, Sani Muhammad Dagona urged the Senate President to use his good office to ensure that the provision of the Disability Law which stipulates five percent of employment for PWDs be strictly adhered to.

“Just as the disability bill has been passed recently by NASS that PWD have to be included in employment in all sectors of the government, we want to be included in many things like giving scholarship for PWDs, appointment for those that have obtained their certificates, foods items for PWDs households, empowerment skills, schools fees and provide motorcycles for our accessibility so that most of our members can desist from street begging to become self-reliant,” he said.