By Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja
The Chief Whip of the Senate, Ali Ndume, yesterday said the National Assembly was planning to amend relevant laws establishing the National Commission for Persons with Disability and impose heavier sanctions against heads of ministries, departments, and agencies who refuse to employ qualified disabled Nigerians.
He spoke when members of the FCT para-soccer team honoured him with an award in Abuja.
The Borno South senator said disabled Nigerians who have the requisite qualifications should be allowed to get gainful employment in MDAs and rise to become senior servants.
The lawmaker on the occasion, donated N1 million to support the team and pledged to use his connections to get more opportunities for disabled soccer players.
Ndume said, “This is the Para-soccer team of the FCT. They want to honour me. We have been supporting people with disabilities. These people have families and they have made us proud. They have won laurels for Nigeria. This team was founded over 30 years ago.
“I want to donate N1 million to support FCT Para-soccer. I will arrange for you to meet the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike. He will give you all the support. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu believes in his Renewed Hope Agenda. We will have the national event in a grandeur manner and all major political leaders will be there.
“We can arrange that this year. This year will be a year of Renewed Hope for every Nigerian. We will make it mandatory for every MDA of government to employ people with disabilities. They will be placed in offices and respected, become chief executives of such government agencies, and become permanent secretaries. We once had a disabled Senator who was the Chief Whip.”
Misbahu Lawan Didi, Founder of Para-Soccer, who presented the award plaque, Ndume played a critical role in the passage of the Bill that established Disability Commission in Nigeria.
He also revealed how Ndume reached out to the disabled community during the COVID-19 pandemic and offered financial and material assistance to them.
He said, “Para-soccer game was founded in Nigeria. There are over 5,000 members across Nigeria. You have done more for the disability community than any other politician in Nigeria. You played a role in the establishment of the Disability Commission.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, you reached out to many disabled people. You’ve given over 5,000 tricycles to disabled people. You’ve sponsored many of our events. We want other senators to copy what Ndume is doing for disabled people in Nigeria. They need to copy him,” he said.
