By AHMED MUSA

The Joint National Associations of Persons With Disabilities (JONAPWD) on Monday presented their demands for consideration to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Prof. Nantewe Yilwatda.

Mr Abdullahi Usman, President of JONAPWD, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) shortly after a closed-door meeting with the minister in Abuja that the discussion focused on improving the welfare of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).

“Our concern is to ensure that any poverty alleviation programmes undertaken by the ministry reserve a specific percentage for Persons with Disabilities.

“This is one of the key issues we discussed with the minister,” Usman stated.

He emphasised that they wanted PwDs to receive the allocated benefits without any hindrance and expressed satisfaction with the minister’s response, which he viewed as a sign of commitment.

Usman also explained that part of their request was to ensure that PwDs were included in all empowerment programmes and other social interventions run by the ministry.

“First, we came to congratulate him on his appointment as the Humanitarian Minister and to show our solidarity, as the welfare of the disability community is one of the ministry’s mandates,” he added.

He also emphasised that JONAPWD was ready to collaborate with the minister to positively impact the lives of PwDs, especially at the grassroots level, so they could benefit from federal government intervention programmes.

“We have presented several demands to the minister to ensure that our members are included in all empowerment programmes being undertaken by the ministry. The disability community faces many challenges,” Usman said.

The JONAPWD president pointed out that the disability community, which comprised more than 30 million people across the country, required significant support in areas such as social welfare, healthcare, and education.

“We informed the minister about the challenges we face as persons with disabilities, and he understood our situation and promised to work with us to provide the necessary support,” Usman added.

NAN reports that the meeting, initially intended as a congratulatory visit, concluded with a list of demands due to the pressing humanitarian issues within the disability communities.

The event was attended by representatives from the National Association of Persons with Albinism, the Association of the Blind, among others. (NAN)