In an effort to lessen the prevalence of begging in Northern Nigeria, Abdullahi Ganduje—former governor of Kano State and immediate past national chairman of the All Progressives Congress—has asked governors to invest in people with disabilities. During a gathering in Abuja on Friday, Ganduje made the announcement.
He believes that individuals with special needs can now access school more easily and grow into contributing members of society with the help of modern devices.
In a keynote address, Ibrahim Abdukabir, the school’s vice principal, discussed the effects of the Let’s Talk Humanity Initiative. Attendees included disability education specialists, representatives from both the federal and state governments, as well as faculty, staff, and former students of Tudun Maliki Special School in Kano.
There will be significant societal change, he said, if governors and other stakeholders embrace the human investment concept.
“Indeed, their physical challenges cause them to be overlooked. Because of the impact on their motivation and mental health, they no longer recognise themselves as human. However, by exposing them to this type of program, we are transforming them into just like the rest of society.
At last, I beg the powerful and our development partners to do something drastic; it’s fishing. People with physical disabilities are often pleading for help. They have the potential to grow to the point where they can hire workers. They have the potential to blossom into multi-talented masters of their chosen disciplines.
Societal consideration of persons with disabilities should precede the design of any program or instrument, stressed Dr. Bernard Doro, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management.
People with disabilities must be included at every stage of the design process for assistive devices and other forms of technology.
Empowering people with disabilities is essential to society’s progress, according to Let’s Talk Humanity creator Fatima Ganduje Abiola-Ajumobi.