Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Kogi State have commended Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo for appointing a disability rights advocate, Mr Ibrahim Daniel Arome, as Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Grassroots Mobilisation.
The disability community described the appointment as a significant step towards promoting inclusive governance and greater political participation of Persons with Disabilities in the state.
The appointment, they said, followed years of advocacy for increased representation of PWDs in government and political leadership, adding that it reflected growing recognition of their contributions to the political development of Kogi State.
According to the Kogi State Government, Arome’s appointment was based on his contributions to the ruling party and the state. He was also tasked with mobilising grassroots political support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Ododo administration.
Arome, who is the Chairman of the Kogi State chapter of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), previously served as the pioneer Chairman of the Kogi State Office for Disability Affairs (KOSODA) under the administration of former Governor Yahaya Bello.
His latest appointment brings to five the number of Persons with Disabilities appointed as Senior Special Assistants by the Ododo administration.
Disability activists described the development as a political milestone for the disability community, noting that the appointment could further encourage the participation of PWDs in governance and political processes.
Comrade Davies Oluwasegun Solomon said the appointment demonstrated a growing commitment to political inclusion in Kogi State.
He said Arome’s appointment was particularly significant because he had, as JONAPWD chairman, demonstrated commitment to the disability community, the APC and the Ododo administration.
“This is another good time for the disability community as one of us, Comrade Ibrahim Daniel Arome, has been appointed Senior Special Assistant to the Governor from Kogi East Senatorial District,” Solomon said.
He added that the appointment portrayed Governor Ododo as a leader willing to give Persons with Disabilities a greater role in politics and electioneering.
Solomon also commended former Governor Yahaya Bello for signing the Kogi State disability law, which provided the legal framework for the establishment of KOSODA.
He, however, urged Governor Ododo to build on the development by creating more employment opportunities for qualified Persons with Disabilities and ensuring the implementation of the five per cent employment quota provided for PWDs in the state.
Similarly, the President of the Association of Applicants and Workers with Disabilities in Nigeria, Comrade Samuel Mark, expressed appreciation to the Kogi State Government for giving Persons with Disabilities a greater sense of belonging.
Mark called on the Kogi State Government and the Federal Government to support constitutional amendments that would provide special legislative seats for Persons with Disabilities in State Houses of Assembly and local government legislative councils.
According to him, such measures would deepen political inclusion and strengthen the economic and social empowerment of Persons with Disabilities while promoting their rights to education, transportation, employment and other socio-economic opportunities.
The disability community urged the Ododo administration to sustain its inclusive approach and ensure that political appointments translate into broader opportunities for PWDs across the state.
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