By Emmanuel Mogbede
Abuja – The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday in Abuja said that disabled Nigerians were endowed differently and can contribute to the country’s development in their own way.
Alhaji Adamu Fanda, the party’s National Treasurer, stated this at an event organised by Alhaji Misbahu Didi, the APC National Leader for Disabled Persons to commemorate this year`s World Disability Day.
“We are the only all-inclusive party that believes that everybody is endowed, whether you are able or disabled. We give you a level playing ground because we believe that God has a message to pass through everybody.
“Our party is a mass oriented party meant for the poor and the down trodden,” Fanda said.
He said that because there were large numbers of persons with disabilities, the APC had provided special position for them in its Constitution.
“Whatever they do, we have to come out and identify with them and share in their glory,“ he said.
The APC national Treasurer expressed optimism that President Muhammadu Buhari would soon sign into law the Person’s with Disabilities Bill to alleviate the plight of such persons.
Earlier, Didi said the event which according to him, was not sponsored by any politician, was also to appreciate President Buhari and the APC as a political party for impacting on the lives of persons with disability.
“The people with disability agreed and contributed to ensure that this event took place today for them to appreciate the government and the party,“ he said.
He noted that even before becoming the ruling party, no party in the country recognised persons with disability as much as the APC.
Didi added that the APC did not only recognise persons with disability, but had ensured that their welfare was captured in its Constitution.
“We have special leaders at all levels of government and If you go by our records, we have about 140, 000 persons with disability in the APC Constitution as leaders of the party at various levels,” he said.
He further said that it was on record that President Buhari administration was the only government in the country`s history that had appointed persons with disability as Special Assistants.
This, the APC national leader for persons with disability said, was a great achievement by the Buhari administration.
He added that by the time President Buhari eventually signs into law, the Discrimination Against Persons with disability Bill, the over 25 million persons with disabilities in the country would have no choice than to continue to support him.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that disable leaders from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory were all present at the event.
And to prove that their disability was not a liability, a para soccer was featured at the event as well as different dance presentations.
Dec. 3 is observed as International Day of Persons with Disabilities or World Disability Day. Commemoration of this day was done by United Nations General Assembly resolution in 1992.
The day is meant to promote rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of development and society.
The idea was to increase awareness about persons with disabilities, their situation and their means to survive in cultural, economic, social and political life.
The day was expected to be used to spread awareness on how organisations and individuals could get involved in breaking down attitudinal and structural barriers for people with disability.
The theme for this years World Disability Day is, “Empowering Persons with Disabilities and Ensuring Inclusiveness and Equality.`
According to the United Nations, the theme focuses on empowering persons with disability with equal opportunities and inclusiveness.
The idea was to empower them with equitable, inclusive and sustainable development as part of agenda for sustainable development by 2030.(NAN)