- * Receives Their Endorsement For Presidency
- Shares Weekend Ramadan Iftar Meal With Them
By Celestine Okafor (Editor-in-Chief) @CelestineOkaf11
Ahead of the Saturday, May 28, 2022, Presidential Primary of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the leading aspirant, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, has assured the physically challenged persons in Nigeria that he will protect their interests if elected president in 2023.
Anyim who promised to ensure their welfare in every ramification, also assured them that his government will maintain a strong partnership with Persons Living with Disabilities (PLWD) in Nigeria.
He gave these assurances on Friday evening, April 22, 2022, when he met with the Community of Physically Challenged Persons in Abuja and shared the Ramadan Iftar meal with them. The PLWDs in an unprecedented outpouring of love and appreciation unanimously endorsed Senator Anyim as their sole choice for the May 28 delegate presidential primary and also as their candidate for the 2023 presidential election.
Expressing the love and support of his members for Anyim, National Chairman of the PLWDs, Abdullahi Akilu, noted that Anyim was the first aspirant to meet with his members. He said: “Come 2023, we will give you our block vote. We are not only going to deliver you on the day of the PDP primaries, we will deliver you at the general election and ensure that you become Nigeria’s president".
Akilu who hails from Kaduna State however reminded the former Senate President that the country needs a cognate politician and a technocrat leader like him at this critical period for the presidential job in 2023.
“We are happy that someone of your caliber is sitting with us tonight, eating with us, and laughing with us. We will not forget and we will ensure that our votes speak for us loud and clear on Election Day.”
Anyim who was visibly gladdened at the outpouring of support but deeply emotional at the painful challenges most of the PLWDs had to endure through life going by their narratives, assured that he will always be with them, in and out of government and that their welfare conditions will be among his priority agenda when he becomes president.
Anyim also demonstrated his emotional attachment to the PLWD delegates from the 36 states of the federation by personally serving them with assorted foods and soft drinks during the Islamic fast-breaking meeting. He stated that ordinarily, he would have held such a meeting privately with them, but for reasons of the prevailing circumstance.
“Now that I am running for president, permit me to do this in public. This night is very significant for me. I believe that until the least of us is recognized, the rest of us will not be fulfilled and if elected President next year, I will make sure that everyone with a disability that has competence will be employed and appointed into public office. When I become President, I will appoint a PWD as an Adviser,” the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) promised.
Anyim lamented that it is unfortunate that the latent potentials inherent in the community of Persons Living With Disabilities in Nigeria have not been sufficiently exploited, he however assured that he would made a difference in the opportunities available to them if elected president of Nigeria next year.
He stated that he would strive to enhance the existing National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) and ensure that the Act establishing it is domesticated in all states of the federation as demanded by the PLWDs. He observed that the PLWDs have a large tribe of educated persons who are a great intellectual and leadership assets to the country.
“When I came here, I met two of my professional colleagues. In fact, one of them is a lawyer with 22 years in the bar. So, PWDs are educated, resourceful people that have a lot to contribute to the society and helping in taking the country to the desired destination. I will maximize these capacities when I am elected president next year.
“My conviction that until the least of us is recognized, the rest of us will not be fulfilled is the reason why I chose this night to breakfast with this special group. It was under the PDP administration when I was the Senate President that we came out with the policy that every public building must have a ramp for ease of access for the PWDs.
“We escalated policies aimed at easing the difficulties faced by the PWDs when I was the SGF and as president, I will deepen the conversation and bring inclusiveness to bear on the leadership of the country. I know that the Disabilities Commission is not working as it should right now. But I can assure you that when I am elected president by the special grace of God, it will start working again.
"I will not only empower the commission but also ensure that it is decentralized. We will establish the commission in all states of the federation. We will make the Commission to work and every segment will get due attention. But the idea of the meeting tonight is not just for me to tell you to support my aspiration. It is also for you to tell me what you want from me when I go into government", Anyim stated.
However, one of the PLWDs from Rivers State, Ms. Michelle Obong Joseph, a female lawyer, specifically asked for the inclusiveness of the PLWDs in governance, particularly the physically challenged female genders.
“We are marginalized and women with disabilities need special attention. Education has become very expensive in the country and out of the reach of the PWDs who are mostly poor. We are pleading that education for the PWDs is made free in all public schools".
Also, Christopher Okeke from Anambra State traced Anyim’s relationship with the PLWDs way back in his days as a civil servant and said he was not surprised that he was the first presidential aspirant to felicitate with them.
“We thank you for the good things you have been doing for us. You are not only a friend to the community of people with special needs, you are a father. You may have forgotten. But when you visited the Oji River home of the PWDs in 2004, you gifted a visually-impaired N1 million. That is how large-hearted you are. We have not forgotten,” Okeke said.
Though a Disabilities Commission chaired by Dr. Hussaini Kangiwa was established in August 2020 following the approval of the appointment of executive members by President Muhammadu Buhari in line with the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, the PWDs complained that not much was happening and called for decentralization and requested that the Commission should have offices in each State for effective coordination.
Speaking further, Comrade Obruche Isaac Omon from Delta State lamented that the All Progressives Congress (APC) government has created more PWDs in the country.
“When the PDP was in power, there were 27 million PWDs in the country but under the APC administration, we now have over 44 million PWDs because of insecurity and poverty,” he lamented, reiterating his belief that once in office, Anyim would reverse the ugly trend.
Senator Anyim thanked them for the opportunity given him to breakfast with them, their prayers and assurances of support and assured that they will have a special seat in Aso Rock for the victory jig.
Others who attended the meeting include Dr. Okey Mbionwu, the desk officer at the national secretariat, Apostle Olusola Hunter (Lagos), Kadau M. Kachaa (Borno), Batti B. Bamaka (Adamawa), Umar Ali Goro (Gombe), Salisu Garba Usman (Yobe), Kabiru Bello (Kano), Yakubu Ahmed (Katsina), Alhaji Shehu Umar (Zamfara), Ekeoma Samuel (Abia). NNL.
