Skills
By Mohammed Ahmed Kaigama
Bauchi, May 18, 2018 (NAN) Mr Ayuba Mainas, Acting Executive Director of a non-governmental organisation in Bauchi, Heal Disability Initiative (HDI), has suggested a shift in the type of skills being imparted on physically-challenged persons in the country.
Mainas told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) they needed to be empowered with skills in modern trades such as GSM repairs, multi-Media, Carpentry and others.
“We should not concentrate on empowering them with just the traditional skills of weaving mats and cloths of years bygone.
“They need rehabilitation centres to be empowered; skills in technology, carpentry, Multi-media, GSM repairs and other fields, will help them a lot,” he said.
He said that considering their population, government at all levels needed to establish more skills acquisition centres for them to develop skills and be self-reliant.
“People with disabilities need tangible programme for their rehabilitation; we are calling on government to step up in that direction; you can not neglect 15 percent of your population.
He said the World Health Organisation and UNICEF had put the population of physically-challenged persons in Nigeria at 15 percent of the total population of the country.
“By implications, 30 million Nigerians are people with disabilities that are not being carried along; it’s only on pages of papers that you read people with disabilities are involved in the running the affairs,” he noted.
He therefore called on the three arms of government to put in place, sustainable policies for such category of people, just as he urged politicians to involve in their programmes.(NAN).
MAK/ASH/ASH
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