Reps advocate health insurance for persons with disabilities
By Folashade Akpan
The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Disability, Bashiru Dawodu, has urged the implementation of health insurance for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs).
This plea was made during the Governance and Leadership Workshop for Appointed PWDs held in Abuja and organised by The Albino Foundation (TAF) Africa.
Dawodu emphasised the importance of providing assistive devices to those in need and ensuring accessible health insurance for PWDs.
He also highlighted the committee’s commitment to enforcing the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act, aiming to safeguard the rights of individuals with disabilities.
Addressing concerns of representation, Abdullahi Usman, National President of the Joint National Association of PWD (JONAPWD), stressed the significance of PWDs actively participating in policy-making.
He emphasised the slogan, “nothing about us without us,” highlighting the challenges faced by PWDs, particularly discrimination based on misconceptions about their capabilities.
The workshop, aimed at strengthening the personnel and organisational capacity of PWDs appointed to government positions, received praise from participants.
Dorathy Osaronu, a PWD and Special Assistant on Media to the Governor of Rivers, commended the administration for recognising PWDs and stressed the need for inclusive policies.
Jake Epelle, Founder of TAF Africa, explained that the workshop focused on providing both mental and facility-based capacity to those appointed into political offices.
He emphasised the holistic nature of the campaign, which includes mentoring, monitoring, and evaluation of appointees to ensure their sustained contributions to society.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training seeks to foster inclusive governance, specifically targeting PWDs appointed at national and sub-national levels of government.
The campaign’s ultimate goal is to create a sustainable impact beyond the tenure of the current appointees, encouraging mentorship for future leaders in the disability community. (NAN) www.nannews.ng
Edited by Josephine Obute/Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu
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