President Muhammadu Buhari has said he would soon unveil a special support scheme for people with disabilities.
The President said this in Abuja at a gala night organised by the ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) and the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture to support the less privileged through arts.
The event tagged “2018 Art for Development (Art4Dev) exhibition” and held on Sunday night was also aimed at raising funds for the rural communities and persons with disabilities (PWDs).
President Buhari, represented by his Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Monitoring and Evaluation, Office of the Vice President, Mr. Tunde Osibamowo, decried the social neglect of the vulnerable groups.
He said that despite various social interventions to reduce poverty and unemployment, the special group appeared to be non-inclusive, thus the need for the proposed intervention.
“A lot of people who are vulnerable have great artistic sense and particularly the disabled people. Most definitely, we are planning a lot of programmes and projects in the very near future for disabled people. They are not as well represented in a lot of government programmes. Within the next few months, we are planning a lot of engagements for them,” he said.
He said that lots of PWDs are intelligent and resourceful, thus needs to be supported.
On her part, the First Lady, Hajiya Aisha Buhari called for peace and need to promote national unity despite the nation’s diverse ethnicity.
Mrs Buhari, represented by Wife of the Speaker, Mrs. Gimbia Yakubu Dogara said it was God’s wisdom that put the nation together despite the ethnic and social differences.
“As Nigerians, we need each other wherever we go. That is our beauty as a nation. Without the different ethnicity, Nigeria will cease to be called a nation,” she said.
Speaking earlier, the AAN Country Director, Ene Obi, said that a lot of Nigerians are creative and committed to artistic development, especially in rural communities.
She urged the Federal Government to support the special groups and rural communities through special interventions in order to reduce poverty and boost better livelihood.
She said, “It is against this backdrop that we believe a Nigeria without poverty is possible. We organised this to primarily showcase the indigenous works of local artists across Nigeria as a viable means and source of sustainable livelihood.”
