TheCable

Nasir Dauda, president of the association for visually impaired persons in Katsina state, has urged Dikko Umaru Radda, governor of the state, to prioritise the needs of people living with disabilities (PWDs).

He sought this assistance in an open letter to the governor on Tuesday.

“The persons with disabilities in the state are still on the streets begging because of lack of care from the government and the society as a whole,” Dauda’s letter reads.

“Our people are abandoned to their fates. Nobody cares about our suffering, including massive deprivation of educational and job opportunities. We feel excluded and discriminated against.

“Successive governments have paid lip service to our plights. Most of the interventions could be best described as tokenism that only scratch the surface of our predicament.

“Now, with your coming and how you started on a good footing, I feel confident to draw your attention to our ordeal.

“It becomes necessary to start with the employment palaver.”

The association said that this is important “because lack of it is responsible for our people begging for food to keep body and soul together”.

“If you can recall, the Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, outlaws any form of discrimination against PWDs,” he said.

“Section 29 of the Act provides that public organisations shall allocate at least 5 per cent of job vacancies to persons with disabilities.

“However, lack of enforcement is the reason government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) violate the act with impunity.

“My prayer is that since you are a just leader, you will stop the impunity.

“Finally, Sir, for inclusion, justice and fairness, we hope the PWDs will be fully represented in your cabinet.”