The Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, on Tuesday why he appointed persons living with disabilities into positions of authority in his administration.
He said he deliberately made such appointments to allow persons living with disabilities to lend their voice to issues of governance.
He said he has no regret taking the decision. The governor spoke during the celebration of this year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities in Ilorin, the state capital.
The governor in June appointed two PWDs as Permanent Secretaries.
Represented by the Senior Adviser and Counselor, Alhaji Saadu Salahu, the governor recalled how he held the budget meeting with the management of ministries, departments and agencies at the School For Special Needs, Ilorin at the inception of his administration.
He said that singular action has enabled his administration to fix many of the facilities in the school to cater for the conducive learning of, “our wonderful special students.”
“Let me remind you that at the beginning of this administration, I noticed that society often dissociates with special needs people. I purposely took the budget meeting with the management of all MDAs to the School for Special Needs to make everyone realise the challenges you are facing.
“We desire to recognise your contributions to national development and to give hope to all of us that there is no limit to the height we can attain in the society irrespective of our peculiarities,” the governor said.
AbdulRazaq who assured persons living with disabilities of the willingness of his administration to always accommodate their needs within the available resources, described the theme of the event, “United in action to rescue and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals for persons with disabilities” as very apt.
“You will recall that one of you was appointed into this government to represent you in our administration. We have also appointed persons with special needs to senior roles in the civil service. This speaks to the fact that this administration is inclusive; it’s to allow you to lend your voice to issues of governance. I have no regret over this important decision.
“I want to use this occasion to reiterate that our administration is always operating an open-door policy to incorporate people of different categories without discrimination. You are highly esteemed by the government and I will be willing to accommodate your needs within the resources available to us’” the governor said.
In her remarks, the director of the Human Rights Commission, Barrister Olaoye Jumoke, emphasised that human dignity, whether disabled or abled should be respected and individual rights should be protected.
She reiterated the readiness of the commission to always come to the aid of the people living with disabilities whenever their right is infringed upon.
Earlier, the state chairman of the Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities, Comrade Yusuf Bashir, thanked President Bola Tinubu and Governor AbdulRazaq for their support for the PLWD.
He specifically thanked President Tinubu for appointing one of them as a Special Adviser and Governor AbdulRazaq for seeing to their wellbeing as well as appointing some of them into public offices and the state civil service.