Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Samuel Ogbuku, has donated mobility and hearing aids to Persons Living With Disabilities (PWDs) in the Niger Delta region.
Ogbuku, who made the donation recently, at the maiden edition of the Niger Delta Disability Praise Festival held in Port Harcourt, assured them of the commission’s commitment to their well-being and development; adding that what the people living with disabilities needed in life, were nothing more than opportunities and support to live meaningful and sustainable lives.
NDDC Assistant Director, Education, Health and Social Services, Dr Asela Agala, who stood for NDDC Managing Director at the event, noted that some of these physically challenged persons were very talented and gifted, pledging to assist give them sustainable livelihoods, as the commission was devoted to the overall development of persons living with disability
Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, handed over such items as wheelchairs, sensor-guide canes, hearing aids and crutches to the physically challenged persons living in Niger Delta region.
According to him: “The NDDC has a robust welfare package for youths, women and persons living with disability and we have over the years rolled out programmes to address their challenges.”
Speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Disability Matters, Hon. Mohammed Abba Isa, commended the NDDC for supporting the efforts of the Federal Government in furthering inclusive policies and ensuring the development of supportive environment for people with disabilities; while also, applauding the Federal Government for instituting a law; Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2019, which provides for the integration of persons with disabilities into the society and for constituting the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, NCPWD.
“It is important for us as human beings to understand that disability is part of the human condition and that all of us may become disabled in one way or the other during the course of our lives.
“Disability is a mindset and nobody is immune to it. We have 25 million persons living with disabilities in Nigeria and some of them resulted from accidents, diseases and age. We need an implementable legal framework that will safeguard the integrity of persons living with disabilities in Nigeria”, he stated.
Moreso, the NDDC Consultant on the Niger Delta Disability Praise Festival, Hon. Timi Ziriki, while speaking, charged the government at all levels, to proactively create avenues for the inclusion of persons living with disability through their policies and programmes; lamenting that physically challenged persons in the country, especially those in rural communities, usually suffer hardship, neglect, discrimination, deprivation and stigmatisation.
She pleaded with the government and non-governmental organisations to always acknowledge the contributions of persons with disabilities to the society, noting that they should be given a sense of belonging and equal opportunity, especially in the area of employment,
“We should encourage them to actively participate, compete, interact and engage with others to showcase their talents, skills, and creativity”, she concluded.
