don’t know their population or have their data, hence the reason for creating this comprehensive database. 

“PWDs don’t have to go and queue in the sun to register, they can do that from the comfort of their homes,” he added.

In his remark, the National President of National Association of Persons With Physical Disabilities, NAPWPD, Mr Rilwan Abdullahi submitted that the Beyond Disability Project is a very good initiative and welcome development, but expressed the need for the grassroots to be carried along in order  to ensure this project gets to the rural areas so it can touch the lives of PWDs at the grassroots.

Mr Abdullahi added that this project will help disability cluster heads to meet the expectations of their people on them.

Also speaking, Mr Peter Iorkighir, National President of Nigerians with Leprosy, who expressed worry that people affected with leprosy have no access to education due to discrimination,  urged the organizers of the Project to ensure that educational development component of the Beyond Disability Project benefit people with Leprosy. He pray for God to make the project a success.

In her remark, Mrs Ugwuaneke Chinyere, who represented the National President of Nigerian Association of the Blind, Mr Stanley Onyebuchi, joined other cluster heads to congratulate and commend the SSAP for this laudable initiative while calling for more slots for women with disabilities in order to achieve gender equality and inclusion with the Beyond Disability Project.

Representative of the National President of Spinal Cord Injury Association of Nigeria SCIAN, Mrs Maureen Chioma called on all members of disability clusters to support and rally round this novel initiative by the SSA.

On his part, Mr Haruna Mohammed Tsafe of NNAD, thanked the SSAP for the opportunity, while requesting that this program be implemented to touch the lives of PWDs at the grassroots. He also requested that the project should focus more on education, saying “we want PWDs to have opportunities to go to school so that they can also become graduates and be able to get jobs.”

Mr Donald Tampi representing chairman of Albinism Association of Nigeria, complained that the albinism community are lagging behind and requested that the Albinism Community be carried along while declaring support for the program.

While speaking, Mike Maikumo Gideon, who represented the National President of JONAPWD, congratulated members of the disability community for having Hon Mohammed Abba Isa as the SSA on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities whom he described as a round peg in a round hole. 

He said: “This project is very suitable for those at the grassroots in the rural areas. I commended the SSA for the initiative and gave my full support to it.”

He charged all cluster heads to cooperate fully with the office of the SSA.

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