By Stephen Adeleye
Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) that applied for recruitment as secondary school teachers in Kogi commended the state government on Monday for according them preferential treatment.
Those of them who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja at the venue of the on-going oral interviews gave the commendation.
They expressed gratitude to Gov. Yahaya Bello for always considering the plight of persons with disabilities and for giving them priority.
Miss Ramat Yunusa from Ankpa, who was on a wheelchair, expressed her gratitude to the governor and to the Commissioner for Education, Wemi Jones, for giving the PWDs equal opportunities in the teachers’ recruitment.
Yunusa, who applied as Computer Science teacher, also thanked the panellists for giving her special consideration and preferential treatment during the oral interview.
“I am very happy for the preferential treatment given to me during the oral interview. I thank the commissioner and Gov. Bello,’’ she said.
Another PWD, Mr Adam Celestine, who applied as English Language teacher, commended the government for not discriminating against people with disabilities and for giving them equal opportunities as able-bodied applicants.
Celestine said the gesture would go a long way in reducing stigmatisation against people with disabilities.
“I promise to contribute my own quota to improve educational value in Kogi if employed as a teacher,’’ Celestine said.
Also, Mr Lawal Bello from Ajaokuta, said people with disabilities were always proud of the governor because he had given them a voice.
“I am a teacher in a private school, but I am grateful to Kogi for giving me the opportunity to apply as an English Language teacher in a government secondary school.
“As PWDs, we don’t use to have this kind of opportunity in the past, so, we thank the governor and the commissioner for this special consideration,’’ he said.
Earlier, the commissioner urged the interviewers to continue to maintain the highest level of credibility and transparency in the discharge of their assignment.
(NAN)
