By Abdullahi Idris Zuru
Sometimes in 2019, former President Muhammadu Buhari, succumbed to sustained pressure from the Joint National Association of persons with Disabilities sent a bill to the National Assembly for the establishment of the National Commission for persons with disabilities which was eventually passed and assented to by the President,
thereby raising their hope for recognition and involvement in governance.
In Kebbi State, Comrade Governor Nasir Idris, being an advocate of fundermental human rights and social justice in the society, coupled with his desire for making life more meaningful to the persons with disabilities, hurriedly prepared a bill and sent to the State House of Assembly for the establishment of the state commission for the persons with Disabilities barely ten months after assumption of office.
Shortly after the bill was passed and eventually assented to, the Governor appointed membership of the commission with five members drawn from the various categories of the disabled persons and from Gwandu, Argungu, Yauri and Zuru emirates.
To further demonstrate his care to carry them along and make them feel sense of belonging, Comrade Governor appointed five of them as Special Assistants and directed that they be involved in all the state government’s empowerment programme in order to ensure fair share for their people.
Obviously not satisfied with the remarkable support extended to the disabled persons, the Comrade Governor, at the 2024 annual celebration of the International Day for the persons with disabilities held on tuesday in Birnin Kebbi, doled out one hundred million naira to them for what he called ” a grant for starting viable business to be self dependent”.
The wife of the Govenor Hajiya Nasare Zainab Nasir, who represented him on the occasion, explained that the money was to be shared to one thousand persons selected from each of the twenty one local governments, with each to get one hundred thousand Naira.
The categories of the disabled persons selected included persons with physical disability, the blind, the deaf, persons with intellectual disability, those affected by leprosy disease, and Albinos.
She said Comrade Kauran Gwandu believed that the kind gesture, if properly utilised, through viable small-scale economic ventures, would not only take them off the street begging but also makes their lifes comparatively comfortable.
While it can be said without fear of contradiction that the persons with disabilities in Kebbi State have never had it so good, Comrade Governor Nasir Idris Kaura can equally be said to have demonstrated genuine interest and commitment to the transformation of the socio-economic fortunes of the disabled persons in Kebbi state.
Abdullahi Idris Zuru,
Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy to Kebbi State Governor.
