By Ade Oyeyemi
Persons with Disabilities in Ekiti State on Monday protested at the Government House in Ado-Ekiti over the alleged reduction of employment slots promised to them by Governor Biodun Oyebanji.
The protesters, drawn from different disability groups, said the governor had pledged 30 employment opportunities for qualified PWDs under his administration’s inclusion agenda, but accused government officials responsible for implementing the promise of reducing the slots to 12.
Speaking during the protest, the Chairman of the Nigeria Association of the Blind in Ekiti State, Ariyo Tope, described the alleged reduction as unfair and a betrayal of the governor’s commitment to ensuring that no one was left behind.
While acknowledging Oyebanji’s commitment to fulfilling promises, Tope accused the ministries and offices handling the recruitment process of denying persons with disabilities their rightful share of the administration’s opportunities.
He appealed to the governor to intervene personally and direct the relevant ministry to restore the 30 slots, arguing that even the initial allocation was insufficient to accommodate the thousands of qualified PWDs in the state.
“We are not fighting the government; we are not fighting the governor, but it’s unfair that the governor promised 30 slots and those implementing it reduced it to 12 slots.
“We know our governor as Mr Talk and Do; why would they be giving out slots to other people who are not part of us?” he said.
Tope added that some members of the disability community had graduated several years ago but remained unemployed despite obtaining the qualifications they were encouraged to pursue.
He said, “They told us to go to school and get more certificates. Some of us graduated 15 years, 10 years, five years ago, respectively, and still, no job to show for it.
“We are suffering. Even the 30 slots are not enough, but we are calling on Governor Biodun Oyebanji to come to our aid so that we can get our 30 slots back.”
Also speaking, Adebisi Oluwasinaayo called for the publication of the list of beneficiaries, insisting that persons with disabilities deserved transparency in the allocation of the employment opportunities and should not be excluded from the dividends of democracy.
