By Muhammad Nasir
The Sokoto State Government has restated its commitment toward ending all forms of discrimination against persons living with disability in the state.
Malam Abdul-Azeez Ibrahim, the Special Adviser to Gov. Aminu Tambuwal on Disability Matters, made the pledge in his address at the 2021 World Spinal Cord Injury Day celebration in Sokoto on Sunday.
The event, which was organised by the state government under the office of the Special Adviser in collaboration with the Spinal Cord Association of Nigeria (SCIAN), was sponsored by an NGO, Mariya Tambuwal Youth Ambassadors in Sokoto.
The theme of the 2021 Spinal Cord Injury Day is: “COVID-19 and Spinal cord injury: Staying healthy with the help of telecommunication and telehealth”.
According to Ibrahim, the day is a great day that needed collective celebration in order to encourage victims of spinal cord injury and restore hope in their living conditions.
“The Sokoto state government has continued to render more support to all of us living with disability in the areas of education, health, empowerment, employment and other sectors of life.
“This valuable gesture led to the passage of a Bill for a law to provide punishment for discrimination on persons living with Disability by the state House of Assembly, which was recently assented by Gov. Aminu Tambuwal.
“However, I want to assure you that the state government is fully equipped to ensure the best life for people living with Disability,” he said.
Hajiya Amina Audu, a Council member representing Northern Nigeria at the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, commended the organisers for the event.
Audu restated the need for government to ensure more effort in the area of empowerment of disabled persons, saying that poor educational background has continued to make people living with Disability more vulnerable.
“There is need for government to consider us, because most of the people living with Disability engage in begging not because they want to be beggars but only to survive,” she said.
The guest speaker, Malam Bello Gidadawa, urged people living with disability to remain courageous in order to live the best life they desire.
“Even without the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic, we are aware of the numerous problems the people living with disability are facing.
“As such, government and individuals should sustain more commitment toward addressing the challenges of the people living with disability, while the society should continue to embrace and encourage them,” he said.
