Persons with disability in Kaduna state have voiced out their grievances over challenges that have to do with negligence, stigma and gender disparity which they are endured for too long in the state.
Shamsuddeen Abdullahi, the leader of the physically challenged persons in Zaria, passionately appealed to the Governor of Kaduna State Nasir El-Rufai to always include the physically challenged people the list of students sent on scholarship to overseas.
Mr Shamsuddeen, a HND graduating student of Nuhu Bamali polytechnic, made the appeal in an interview with newsmen at the graduation ceremony of 1000 disabled persons who were trained in various vocations by the Sa’adiya Isah Suleiman Foundation in Kaduna.
Mr Shamsuddeen, who is also one of the beneficiaries of the training programme of the foundation, expressed dissatisfaction over the increased disparity and gender differences displayed by the state government.
He added that both Kaduna state and federal government appointees in charge of people with disabilities are trying, but that their best is not enough.
He said: “There are lots of intelligent, talented and highly skilled among disable persons in Kaduna and Nigeria that would excel if given opportunity like their counterparts in other countries in Europe and America.”
Mr Shamsuddeen expressed surprise that whenever it comes to sending students abroad on scholarship, the government always abandoned them.
According to him, there wasn’t any chance given to any physically challenged person to go and study abroad in Kaduna state.
He said: “We are much more intellectually sound than some of those that the government is selecting and sending to broad for study.
“I am begging Kaduna state government to stop showing us differences because we are also Kaduna state citizens, we need scholarship to further our studies abroad,” he said.
Mr Shamsuddeen also added that giving them scholarship to study abroad would encourage most of the street beggars to abandon begging and go back to school.
He therefore called on governor El-Rufai to always remember putting the physically challenged persons among the students given scholarship for study outside the country.
Earlier, the proprietress and founder of the foundation, Sa’adiya Suleiman who is a cripple woman said, her motivation came as a result of innate desire to assist people with disabilities, widows, orphans, beggars and less
