TheCable

Cedar Seed Foundation (CSF), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), says the high level of corruption in the country has negatively affected people with disabilities (PwDs). 

Lois Auta, the founder of CSF, spoke at a forum organised in collaboration with the Yar’Adua Foundation, and assisted by the MacArthur Foundation.

Auta expressed concern that funds set aside to empower PwDs have been misappropriated by people in the government.

At the forum tagged “Social inclusion: Nigerian accountability conversations”,  she said the development has affected PwDs in “devastating ways”.

“This has affected persons with disabilities in devastating ways and in some cases leading to death,” Auta said.

While expressing her gratitude to Yar’Adua and MacArthur Foundations for their focus on disability matters, she decried the high rate of unemployment among PwDs in the country.

Speaking also, Amara Nwankpa, director of public policy initiatives at the Yar’Adua Foundation, noted that the essence of the gathering was to increase advocacy on self-enforcement and public engagement on corruption.

Nwankpa spoke on what the citizens can do when they are in government and how they should hold themselves accountable.

Other speakers include Patience Dickson from the national commission for persons with disabilities (NCPWD) and Donald Unaka from the potters gallery initiative.