27th December, 2017
The National President of Persons With Disability Initiative Nigeria, Mr Augustine Onwuamaegbu on Wednesday, appealed to Federal Government to include Persons Living With Disabilities (PLWD) in policy making in the country.
Onwuamaegbu made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
He called on PLWD to join political parties in order to be part of decision making and effect the desired change.
“The PLWD should join politics, 2019 is around the corner and they should ensure they have their voters’ cards in order to be part of the electoral process.
“We want to see a party or new party where PWLD could have inclusive participation and be part of the arms of government.
“Effective democratic growth involves making sure the most marginalised and the poorest
have a voice in decisions affecting their welfare,” Onwuamaegbu said.
He said PLWDs were frequently overlooked and struggle to achieve a better quality of life, saying they were usually the disadvantaged group.
Onwuamaegbu said in spite of the provisions of the Nigerian constitution and international conventions, the PLWDs were not considered with respect to construction of roads, highways, and public buildings as well as other public infrastructure.
However, he called for corporate sponsorship of PLWDs in terms of empowerment, education and employment.
Onwuamaegbu said that with the recent economic recession, many PLWDs were suffering in silence.
He advised PLWDs not to give up on themselves rather look for meaningful ventures to better their lives.