TQM report,
The Association of Applicants/Workers with Disabilities in Nigeria, on Tuesday, blocked the premises of the Petroleum Equalization Fund (PEF) in Jabi Abuja demanding the 5percent employment opportunity exclusively reserved for people with disabilities in line with Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018. Section 29 of the Act which mandates all employers of labour in public organizations to, as much as possible, have persons with disabilities constituting at least five percent of their employment and the agency have refused to employ persons with disabilities.
Dr. Godstime Onyegbunam, The President of the Association speaking during the protest said that members of the association took over the entrance of PEF, preventing movement of traffic into and out of the premises and vowed not to leave until appointment letter was issued to their candidate whose CV they had given to the Fund’s Head of Human Resources based on the Executive Secretary’s approval.
Speaking further, Dr. Onyegbunam said that in 2019, they met with the Executive Secretary and he assured them that whenever they are recruiting, they will do something. Then at around November 2020, they got information that PEF were recruiting. They came and met with the Head of Human Resources who told them that the Executive Secretary had approved two slots for them, one senior and one junior.
“We submitted the CV and after two months, we came back in January and demanded to know why the appointment letter was not ready. We couldn’t see the Executive Secretary but the CSO told us that what the Executive Secretary approved now is either two junior staff or one senior staff or we should take the option of them training 15 or 20 of us which we refused.” he added.
“We submitted the CV and after two months, we came back in January and demanded to know why the appointment letter was not ready. We couldn’t see the Executive Secretary but the CSO told us that what the Executive Secretary approved now is either two junior staff or one senior staff or we should take the option of them training 15 or 20 of us which we refused.” he added.
He also said that PEF continued to deny that they are not carrying out any recruitment even when it is obvious that we saw someone who collected his appointment letter which happened in our last visit, we heard him making calls excited .”
Later we accepted the one senior position offered by the Executive Secretary through the CSO and submitted a CV but when we came back for follow up, we were told by CSO that he doesn’t know if the position still exist, he offered to go and check.
He lamented the rate of discrimination faced by PWDs in trying to access employment especially in those ones seen as juicy offices, he blamed it to corruption that have taken over recruitment process where applicants who doesn’t have thousands and millions of naria should not border seeking for job. How on earth can an applicant with disability afford such money to pay for a job.
