The Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Zainab Maina has called on SURE-P to give a helping hand to alleviating the suffering of people living with disabilities which usually constitute the poorest, socially excluded and marginalized group within the society.
Hajia Maina made the call at a one–day strategy session with stakeholders and representatives of organizations and associations of persons living with disabilities in Nigeria to consider ways of integrating them into Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P).
She stated that Nigerian Government at all levels have tried to put smiles on faces of persons with disabilities through programmes and projects aimed at improving not only their living standard, but their full participation in the socio-economic and political development of Nigeria.
The Minister who was represented by the Director of Rehabilitation, Mrs. Mercy Daudu disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development being the lead Government Agency on disability issues in the country has keyed into the implementation of the Continental Plan of action for the African decade of persons with Disabilities which now spans 2009-2019.
She calls on SURE-P to key into the implementation of the objectives of the Continental Plan of Action to guarantee the exercise of their right and privileges and enabling environment to excel.
Hajia Maina revealed that Nigeria has about 19 million people living with one form of disability or another and therefore stressed that disability issues are fare to important to be ignored.
"This populace is large enough to attract attention and consideration in the policy formation and programme implementation realizing that the budgetary allocations alone connote shoulder the enormous responsibility of meeting the needs of those people", she said.
Chike Okongwu, SURE-P Committee Member, representing people with disabilities and Convener on Railways, said that persons with disability should be treated with respect like any other human being with all their rights.
He expressed his displeasure on the way PWD's are being treated with pity and sympathy. "They want to step in to the fore and take their discussion to the President and discussed their issue with the President", Chike emphasized.
PWD's issued a communiqué at the end of the workshop requesting that programmes and projects on PWD should be included in SURE-P's green book.
They also requested that every State and Local Government SURE-P must include people with disability in their respective SURE-P Programme.
They are equally demanding that new ways of incorporating people with disabilities into SURE-P programme should be structured. PWD's also suggested that Capacity Enhancement and Skill Acquisition Programme should also be organized for people with disabilities
The communiqué also contend a request for disabilities friendly Information Education Communications (IEC) materials.
In a paper entitled, "monitoring the impact of SURE-P programmes on persons with disabilities; A case for action", presented by David Anyalele of Thevidan consultancy limited, calls for the development of disability policy guide line for SURE-P projects and involvement of organizations of and for persons with disability in monitoring of SURE-P projects.
He implores SURE-P to promote the principle of inclusion which seek to enhance full participation of persons with disability in all SURE-P in all domain of Nigerian society.