By Nurudeen Alimi
Persons with disability in Oyo State, under the aegis of the Association of Persons With Disability (PWD). have commended the state governor, Mr Seyi Makinde, for including their welfare in the policies of his administration.
The group of associations, in a statement signed by their representatives and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the state capital, on Wednesday, described Makinde as the first governor in the history of the state to appoint a disabled person as an executive assistant, among other firsts.
The statement, jointly signed by the chairman, National Association of Persons with Physical Disability, Oyo State chapter, Oyayinka Babawale; chairman, Nigeria Association for the Deaf, Oyo State chapter, Isaac Akinfenwa; chairman, Nigeria Association for the Blind, Oyo State chapter, Lekan Bello; chairman, Spinal Cord Injury Association of Nigeria, Oyo State chapter, Femi Ajulo; and chairman, National Association of Persons with Intellectual Disability, Oyo State chapter, Evang. Olu Kayode, appealed to other governors in the country to emulate the governor’s gesture.
“We want to commend the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Disability Matters and the governor himself for their unprecedented positive impacts in the lives of the entire people with disability living in Oyo State.
“Governor Seyi Makinde is the first governor in the history of the state to appoint a disabled person as an executive assistant. He also approved the appointment of a disabled person as Special Assistant(S.A) to the governor.
“He made the appointment of one disabled person as supervisory councilor and others as S.A. for each of the 33 local government areas in Oyo State possible.
“We cannot also forget the appointment 150 disabled persons as teachers in the service of the Oyo State Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) as well as the appointment of a visually impaired lawyer as legal officer to the state Ministry of Oyo Justice, etc.
“All these are the positive steps the governor has taken in ensuing that our welfare has not suffered. And while urging him to allow these to continue, we are also pledging our unalloyed support for his re-election and continued support for his people-oriented government,” the groups said.