Hardship: PWDs protest in Abuja, seek inclusion in intervention c’ttees

The TAF Africa has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to include Persons With Disability (PWDs) in intervention committees to address the hunger and other forms of hardship facing Nigerians.

The Chief Executive Officer and founder, TAF Africa, Ambassador Jake Epelle, made the call on Tuesday in Abuja in an open letter addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, titled, ‘An Urgent Appeal to Address the Crippling Impact of Economic Crisis on Vulnerable Nigerians, Particularly Persons With Disabilities’.

His call was coming ahead of the expected release of 42,000 tonnes of grains from the strategic grain reserves across the country as promised by the federal government to cushion the hardship facing Nigerians.

He said President Tinubu should ensure that PWDs are included in the committees for the release of grains and be carried along in other interventions.

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He said PWDs form one of the sections of most vulnerable Nigerians who are to be greatly considered by the government to ease the hardship they are passing through.

He lamented that the current economic hardship disproportionately affects PWDs who already face significant barriers due to pre-existing societal, discrimination and infrastructural challenges.

He also lamented daunting challenges the economy had impacted PWDs across the country including the rising cost of essential medications, assistive devices, food items, and specialised care that have thrown PWDs into a precarious situation, thereby jeopardising their well-being and independence.