Nigeria may create Ministry of Disability Affairs

From the Nigerian Tribune:

The Federal Government may early next year create the Ministry of Disability Affairs to cater for the needs of physically-challenged people in the country.

The National President of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria (JONAPDN), Prince Paul Adelabu, who disclosed this to Sunday Tribune in Abuja over the weekend, revealed that President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua secured majority of the votes of 19million handicapped persons in Nigeria, out of the 26million votes he garnered to become president in 2007.

He therefore told the president to appoint at least one disabled person as minister in the soon-to-be-reconstituted cabinet.

He then admonished the National Assembly not to approve the list of ministerial nominees sent it by Yar’Adua if the name of at least one physically-challenged person was not included.

He said the JONAPDN members had a say in the government of Yar’Adua and that appointing one of them as minister would bring an end to the issue of discrimination against the physically-challenged people in Nigeria.

Buttressing his argument, Prince Adelabu cited the case of the United Kingdom where David Blunket, a disabled person, was made a minister, just like the present governor of New York in the United States of America, saying that physically – challenged persons deserved a place in Nigerian politics.

He said that in line with the 7-point agenda of Yar’Adua which placed much priority on the less- privileged, rule of law, fairness and justice, President Yar’adua should consider JONAPDN’s position as citizens of this country by giving them the opportunity to serve”.