Ngige highlights FG’s agenda for physically-challenged Nigerians

Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, has explained that its decision to invite a physically-challenged Nigerian for further discussion with the Minister, Sen. Chris Ngige, was in furtherance of the passionate and compassionate commitment of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to not only take along every segment of the Nigerian society in its policies and programmes but ensure that enough attention is paid to the upliftment of the physically challenged. ‘
It would be recalled that following interactions at the last Saturday’s edition of Radio Link, a Radio Nigeria network phone-in programme, during which the Sen. Ngige was the guest, a physically challenged caller from Otukpo, Benue State, Mr Godwin Achime has been invited for further discussions with the Minister.
A statement by the Deputy Director Press in the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Samuel Olowokere, Tuesday, said the minister believes that the Social Intervention programme of the All Progressives congress (APC)-led Federal government has a special safety net under the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) which is targeted at empowering the physically challenged.
“It is the genuine concern for their welfare that made President Buhari appoint a physically challenged as his Special Adviser on Disability. This has never happened before in our history as a nation,” he said.
“ The Ministry of Labour will therefore in addition make sure that those who are physically challenged, educated and uneducated will also be trained in various skills and vocations which we are unfolding, so that they can employ themselves, earn a decent living, and even employ others.
“The Nigerian Directorate of Employment (NDE) at present has been has been empowered to provide to provide special skills acquisition assistance in her Skills Acquisition Centres all over the Federation.
“We have plans to train some of them in information technology; to repair telephones, computers among others. Those with impaired limbs could be given artificial limbs and be trained to be tailors while the blind can be taught skills using special computers. There are many life endeavours they fit into depending on the type of disability and the aid available.”
Ngige added that his Ministry was already partnering some Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in vocational and skills acquisition training for the disabled.
“In Enugu last month, we joined efforts with BINA Foundation, a non – governmental organization promoting educational skills for the physically challenged and donated ranges of skills acquisition equipment to assist their operations.
“I therefore wish to invite such partnership with similar organisations, who have genuine training programmes for the physically challenged,” the Minister further explained.