The People Living With Disabilities (PWDs) said they are interested in who becomes the next Senate President because whatever law made by the National Assembly will affect them.
To this end, the PWDs have thrown their weight behind Senator Osita Izunaso, to emerge as the President of the 10th Senate.
The leaders of various PWDs’ organisations across the country who made their stance and support known for Senator Izunaso, described his integrity and capacity as outstanding to lead the 10th Senate.
Reading an address on behalf of the PWDs at a press conference held in Abuja, the Founder, Dr Chike Okogun, said their support for the ranking senator to emerge President of the 10th Senate is not far fetched and based on his achievements and contributions towards the PWDs and able bodied Nigerians cannot be over emphasized.
Other leaders at the conference who added their voices to support the actualisation of Izunaso’s emergence as the 10th Senate President include founding father, Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities, (JONAPWD), Dr Dandison Hart; former Executive Chairman, Plateau State Disabilities Rights Commission, Kyenna Mizin; and Association of Lawyers With Disabilities, Yusuf Iyodo.
They all called on the All Progressives Congress (APC), to ensure Izunaso emerges the President of the 10th Senate without sentiments, and also to balance the equation as a Christian from South East becoming the number three person in the country.
Okogun said: “Senator Osita Izunaso is a pragmatic leader, a man of trust and integrity, a man of probity and patriotism, committed to the All Progressives Congress, APC, young and academically sound.
“With all these qualities l, we can confidently say that Senator Osita Izunaso is a nationalist, and capable of leading the 10th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
He also called on senator-elects to massively vote for Izunaso based on his pedigree and outstanding contributions to the stability of the Senate, and in the area of supporting the PWD community, where he was in the vanguard of ensuring the Bill on a National Commission on Persons With Disability was passed into law and signed by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
They also pointed out that for his love and passion for PWDs he had to establish a nonprofit organization called Kpakpando Foundation for persons with disability in 2005, and through the Foundation over 5000 persons in its membership, 500 persons in tertiary and secondary school scholarship schemes, established start-up businesses for over 3000 persons, and the Foundation spearhead struggle for establishment of the Disability Commission as it advocated for the Disability Rights Bill, and today the Commission is the glory of the Foundation.
Also the Foundation had added value to the lives of PWDs whom some have become big business men and women, and other have become beneficiaries of motorized and manual wheelchairs, crutches, good processing equipment, power generating machines, communication gadgets, sewing machines, grinding machines, and others.
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