Ishaq Dan-Imam, Lokoja
The disability community in Kogi State has celebrated the appointment of a prominent disability rights activist, Comrade Ibrahim Daniel Arome, as Senior Special Assistant to Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo on Grassroots Mobilization.
Arome, who is the Kogi State Chairman of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), was appointed by the Ododo administration in recognition of his political contributions to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the state.
The appointment is being seen by disability advocates as a significant step towards greater political inclusion and recognition of the electoral value of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Kogi State.
Arome, a prominent disability rights advocate, previously served as the pioneer Chairman of the Board of the Kogi State Office for Disability Affairs (KOSODA) during the administration of former Governor Yahaya Bello.
With his appointment, the number of Persons with Disabilities appointed as Senior Special Assistants by the current administration has risen to five, according to disability advocates.
The development follows years of advocacy by the disability community for greater representation in political and decision-making positions across the state.
Reacting to the appointment, a disability rights activist, Comrade Davies Oluwasegun Solomon, described it as a milestone for persons with disabilities in Kogi State.
He said Arome’s appointment demonstrated that the disability community was increasingly being recognized as an important stakeholder in the state’s political process.
“This is another good time for the disability community, JONAPWD, to be recognized again, with the appointment of Comrade Daniel Ibrahim Arome as SSA to the Governor from the Eastern Senatorial District,” Solomon said.
He described Arome as a vibrant JONAPWD chairman who had demonstrated his political commitment and loyalty to Governor Ododo and the APC.
Solomon also commended the governor for recognising the capacity of persons with disabilities and creating opportunities for them to participate more actively in politics and governance.
He, however, urged the governor to extend the administration’s inclusion efforts to employment opportunities for qualified persons with disabilities.
“We cannot but acknowledge our political mentor and leader, Yahaya Adoza Bello, the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, who officially signed the state disability law, which led to the establishment of the Kogi State Office of Disability Affairs (KOSODA),” he said.
Solomon added that Governor Ododo had “identified the ability in our disability” by appointing one of their members as a Senior Special Assistant.
He appealed to the governor to implement the five per cent employment quota for Persons with Disabilities in the state and create additional opportunities for qualified PWDs.
Also reacting, the President of the Association of Applicants and Workers with Disabilities in Nigeria, Comrade Samuel Mark, commended the Kogi State Government for giving persons with disabilities a greater sense of belonging.
Mark, however, called on both the Ododo administration and the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to pursue constitutional reforms that would guarantee broader political representation for persons with disabilities.
He advocated the creation of special legislative seats for PWDs in state Houses of Assembly and local government legislative councils through constitutional review and amendment.
According to him, such reforms would strengthen the political participation of persons with disabilities and advance their quest for social and economic empowerment.
“We need an inclusive society where our education, transportation and socio-economic rights are protected with constitutional safeguards,” Mark said.
