The National Union Of Persons With Disabilities (NUPWD) (A Coalition Of Several Duly Register Groups Coming Together To Humbly Solicit For Some Key Areas Of Our SOCIO-ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY as their core Mandate) on Monday 28th, November, 2022 blocked the entrance of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) demanding disability inclusion in all ramifications.
Dr. GodsTime Iheanyi Onyebulam, who happen to be the voice, leader and President of the Union. Highlighted some of their demands during an interview with AIT, Radio Nigeria, Wazobia and Qualitative Magazine at the protest ground in front of CBN headquarters Abuja.
1. Inclusiveness on the aspect of EMPLOYMENT, as the law have it that minimum of 5% workforce of all government organizations should be people with disabilities.
2. EMPOWERMENT. This is so important as it would create an enabling environment for Social and Economic Inclusion.
3. Covid19 Intervention Fund, Geep Moni, and Trader Moni/market Moni. Dr. GodsTime said, the impact of Covid19 is yet a matter which PWDs are not still recovered from.
“The last time we visited CBN here, the management said they have approved 400b to NIRSAL Microfinance bank, little or nothing was given to us”.
According to Dr. GodsTime, various groups have written 4years ago and till this date concerned the aforementioned demands, yet the CBN are not responding positively, making empty promises.
He started categorically that CBN have not score upto 0.2% Inclusive. We are qualified graduates and it is our right to work in CBN as every other Nigerian.
We demands that all our request should be attended to as matter of urgency.
Speaking to the press also was the Vice President to the Union, Comr. Victor expressed dissatisfaction over CBN. He reiterated that CBN have not score 0.2% statistically within 4 years, which is very bad. “Our being here is to cry loud to NIGERIANs”.
According to him, we have written several times to CBN to EMPOWER our people so as to reduce street begging because when you have something doing, you won’t think of begging as a means of survival.
“When you see our people hawking on the road side, what they are hawking is not even up to 10 thousand naira. We want CBN Gov. to come down and address us as our father”. he added.
The Secretary General to the Union, Comr. Ematuwa Azikiwe also speak to our correspondence. He said “that, the coming together of this group is to fight for total Inclusion of our members. We are the main commission because every cluster are here”.
He said, “PWDs are the most vulnerable people that needed EMPOWERMENT, EMPLOYMENT, GRANT even PALLIATIVE. Our people are dying, commiting suicide everyday as a result negligence by our Government”.
“CBN have overlooked us for long even while our President Muhammadu Buhari signed the law that 5% of every employment opportunity should given to PWDs. It is so unfortunate that CBN treat us like second class citizens.
“We have come out in our numbers to cry out, we can’t bear it any longer. If CBN refused to answer today, we are ready to sleep here till we get our results”. he added.
Our reporter, Ahmed Barnabas reports that the army forces who were there so friendly and peaceful controlling the situation but suddenly the the police came, and started raiding tear-gas on us.
According to him five (5) of the Union
