by Chris Agbo, Abuja
The minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq while answering a question about persons with disabilities Palliative asked by Jake Epelle(founder, The Albino Foundation) through a female journalist at Wednesday PTF press briefing , reaffirmed her ministry commitment towards providing Palliatives for persons with disabilities (PWDs).
She explained that the palliatives were handed over to the state governors with instruction to reach out to the vulnerable including persons with disabilities but going by peculiarities of persons with disabilities, she assured that her ministry would still reach out to persons with disabilities directly in addition to the states Palliative distribution ongoing.
In reassuring her commitment, she said that as a minister, persons with disabilities has been her priority which informed her decision to appoint a Senior Special Assistant on Disability Matters and two week ago, she organized a stakeholders meeting with some leaders of disability community. The major outcome of the meeting was an action committee made up of leaders of disability community with expectation of providing guidelines and modalities for inclusion of PWDs in COVID-19 intervention and palliative distribution to PWDs.
But she complained that the report or resolutions of the Committee is yet to be submitted to her and as such, she pushed it back to the PWDs committee on COVID-19 by saying and I quote in her exact words“I think I should be the one asking Jake Epelle for the report/resolutions of the Committee which he is a member”.
She urged the committee to submit the report or resolutions for further action towards ensuring Palliative distribution to persons with disabilities.
