Yahaya Bello pledges to tackle discrimination of physically-challenged persons

The governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has pledged to tackle issues of discrimination against people living with disability in the state.

He said already made laws would be rigorously implemented to ensure such cause.

He made this known on Monday while receiving people living with speciality who paid him a courtesy visit at the banquet hall in Lokoja.

Mr Bello thanked them for taking the lead in throwing their weight behind his second term bid, noting that they were not with disabilities but with “specialities”.

The governor, who was emotional, revealed that he also has a special child like them who he treats in a special way and as such, understands their special needs.

The governor promised to look into the implementation of the already signed bill suggesting that the law should be renamed as people living with speciality law so as to remove certain psychological effect the word “disability” has on them.

He emphasised that people living with specialities deserved special treatment, promising to look into their requests and give it all prompt and special attention.

Speaking at the event, the chairman of the association of people living with disability in Kogi State, Ibrahim Arome, stated that the All Progressive Congress support group, alongside the entire association of people living with speciality, after three-days spiritual exercise, received assurances that Mr Bello would be the governor of the State till 2024, hence their prompt endorsement.

He lauded the governor for the appointment of one of them as Senior Special Assistant, payment into the account of the association’s account, the inclusion of Persons with Speciality into APC party executives, medical interventions and signing of Disability right bill into law.