Visually impaired persons under the umbrella of Association of Technology Inclined Visually Impaired Persons of Nigeria, (ATIVIPN) have urged the Federal Government to reabsorb them into the Federal Civil Service after being disengaged from the NPower scheme.
The association’s President, Tolulope Aluko made the request in a letter addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Aluko, in the letter, lamented that the association was shocked at the sudden disengagement of its members from the NPower scheme.
The letter made available to DAILY POST on Monday said, “The directive of dis-engagement of these few persons with disabilities in the NPower scheme shall definitely increase their hardship”, saying, “the monthly stipend that is being paid to this workers improved their standard of living, in fact, some disabled persons have married and even capable of meeting some of their financial obligations to self and families.
“Your Excellency, we are, however, worried as individuals and as an Association on the recent pronouncement of the honourable Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development directing all NPower beneficiaries batch A and batch B including persons with disabilities to dis-engage.
“It is quite unfortunate your Excellency that most of the persons with disabilities in Nigeria are learned folks with PhDs, Masters, Bachelor Degrees, HNDs, NCEs etc. But the alarming rate of unemployment in the country has indeed affected our members, hence, they leaned heavily on available social intervention scheme particularly the Npower, where few of us are absorbed and many are indoors expecting and praying for divine intervention.
“Your Excellency, we are using this medium to make this strong appeal that based on our qualifications and knowledge of technology in spite of our disabilities that you use your good office to direct the relevant ministries and agencies namely; Ministries of Education, Information, Social, Development and Communications together with their agencies to absorb us into the federal service.”
Aluko added that members of the association are qualified to work as teachers in unity schools, social workers in the ministries, computer technologists and lecturers.
