The British High Commission in Nigeria has offered Chevening scholarship to Persons Living With Disabilities (PLWDs) for 2024/2025 academic session.
The gesture was to guarantee fair and equal access to education for all in line with international conventions.
The Deputy High Commissioner, British High Commission in Nigeria, Gill Atkinson, disclosed this at the presentation to showcase the N45m Scholarship to persons with disabilities in Abuja on Thursday.
She said Chevening is one of the best partnerships between the United Kingdom and Nigeria to deepen their cooperation, particularly in the education sector and to foster PLWDs inclusion in the society.
Atkinson said Chevening was designed not to discriminate against any particular group of people but to give them the opportunities to study, meet their passions and bring those skills and experiences that they have discovered and developed back to Nigeria.
“The reason we are doing this is to help Nigeria’s brightest and best take their country forward. We really want to see young Nigerians equipped to move their country forward.
“The inclusion of persons with disabilities into the programmes is a way the UK government shows them that they are just like every other person with great abilities.
“Persons with disabilities cannot be left out because they also have a lot to impact on society which is why the inclusion,” she said.
In her remarks, Chevening Programme Officer in Nigeria, Oluwafunmilayo Ladepo, said the inclusion of persons with disability was also aimed at providing Nigeria with the positive impact they will bring to the country.
Ladepo noted that about forty seven persons with disabilities have benefitted from the programme since 2014 when the UK government started including Persons with Disabilities as beneficiaries.
She urged as many others to apply for the 2024 session to the UK institutions listed on the Chevening site and ensure that they meet the deadline.
“We are not giving PWDs only because of their disabilities but because they have the ability that many have overlooked due to their disability. We have someone from the previous set who is a Journalist with Visual impairment who completed his Masters program and got an internship with BBC because of his ability and intelligence and he will be back after his internship to contribute to the media.
“So this is the basic thing, partnering with Nigeria, to improve Nigeria and also to gain from Nigeria because if we have these people going, we are also having strong people coming back to build Nigeria,” Ladepo added.
In his remarks, Mr James Lalu, Executive Secretary, National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, represented by Dr Adebayo Adebukola, expressed appreciation to the U.K government for including Persons with Disabilities in the programme.
Adebukola said it was an opportunity which would be properly utilised, adding that he looks forward to more Persons with Disabilities benefitting.
