National president of the group, Engr. Augustine Onwuamaegbu, who disclosed this in Abuja at an empowerment and employment summit organised by the group, noted that issues pertaining to persons with disability continue to be treated with kid gloves by the federal government and Nigerians.
Onwuamaegbu noted that since 1999, efforts to pass the bill on persons with disability continues to suffer from bureaucratic and political bottlenecks, saying when it was even passed in the sixth senate, it did not get the president’s assent.
‘’The Federal Ministry of Education does not have a database on which to plan for the education and training of persons with disability and as such they are treated as outcasts in a nation where it is not our fault to be its proud citizens,’’ he said.
He said the summit is aimed at bringing together employers, industry owners, federal government representatives, legislators, international development institutions and other stakeholders to dialogue and come up with framework on the management of persons with disability.
“In line with the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan, this summit will stir a new wave of consciousness and challenge our efforts towards creating an enabling environment for persons with disability,’’ he added.
He commended the Ministry of Interior for coming up with a special employment scheme mostly for persons with disability.
Papers were presented at the summit by scholars on the need for stakeholders to pay special attention to the employment status of persons living with disability.
