Ughelli North Chapter of the People of with Disabilities under the aegis of Joint National Association of People With Disabilities, JONAPWD, has barricaded the entrance of Ughelli North Local Government secretariat to protest their non inclusion of the ongoing primary school teachers recruitment.
The protesters armed with placards displaying inscriptions such as, “We want 5% of the ongoing primary school teachers recruitment, implement the 5% percent policy’ ‘Let PWDs in Ughelli breath amongst others accused the local government chairman of sidelining them, an allegation that was denied by the chairman.
Addressing newsmen at the secretariat, chairman of People with Disabilities, Comr John Omokiniovo said, “We are here to register our grievances and agitate for our rights in Ughelli North concerning the ongoing employment of primary school teachers and Clerical Officers.
“The JONAPWD members that are here have clusters which includes the blind, those with spinal cord injury, ex-lepers, Albinos, the physically challenged and the deaf to make our demands.
“The local government chairman should clue to the federal and state governments policy of 5 percent on employment and empowerment for persons living with disabilities.
“I have used every means to dialogue with the local government chairman and he has been telling me a lot of things.
“We have the physically challenged persons that have NCE, OND, HND, Bsc and a pharmacologist in our midst and we here to demand for our 5 percent of employment and empowerment and even the SURE-P.
“In every thing that come to the council, he should put is in the picture and give us our 5 percent that the former President, Muhammadu Buhari approved and commissioned for persons with disabilities.
“The former governor of Delta State, Chief initiated the 5 percent after the federal government approved 25 percent employment and empowerment policy.
“For the fact that we are disabled, we are not sick in health, for the fact that some people are blind does not mean that they cannot reason.
“The government of Ughelli North have excluded us from the scheme of things and we are not happy except we are carried along”
Reacting to the allegations, chairman of Ughelli North Local Government Area, Hon. Godwin Adode when contacted said, “The people with disabilities have been carried along in his administration and the current primary school teachers recruitment, we reserved two slots for them but they should apply just like others.
On SURE-P fund, he held that whatever thing that came out is being used for projects and you can go to the Special Education Center to see what is going on there
