Nation
Civil Servants With Disabilities Seek Special Allowance
The National Civil Servants Association of Persons with Disabilities (NCSAPWDs) on Friday appealed to the Federal Government to provide special allowance to people living with disabilities to ease their daily challenges.
Member of the association, Dr Samuel Eny-Ebifa, made the appeal in Abuja at a one-day Disability Workshop organised by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs in commemoration of the International Day for Persons With Disability (PWDs).
Eny-Ebifa said the allowances would enable them provide their basic needs such as wheelchair and Braille machines computer software which were expensive and not easily affordable for people with disability.
“A person who lost some of the ability or use of some organs of the body is disable and this makes our daily lives more difficult when it comes to accessing certain services and support.
“We are appealing for a special disability allowance that will go a long way to cushion some of the costs and expense that we make due to our special needs.
“A disability allowance may seem unnecessary to others but it will go a long way to ease major challenges associated with inclusiveness, accessibility and accommodation in terms of a better environment devoid of physical and invisible obstacles to basic human needs,” he said.
He stressed the need for the society to desist from seeing PWDs as misfits, but rather accept them as normal human beings facing certain challenges.
Director, Human Resources and Management in the ministry, Mrs Osunkoya Olufunke, urged Nigerians to give PWDs their rightful place in the society by making conscious effort to include them and make special provisions for their needs.
“The Federal Government will continue to give PWDs their rightful place because people with special needs deserve to be treated just like everyone else.”
The Convener of the event, Mr Daniel Isiuwe, emphasised the need for the public to understand the challenges of PWDs and give them equal opportunities and treatment.
He also urged their superiors in office to give them work to do just like their other colleagues because they could equally do as much as others if given the chance and opportunity.
“People with disabilities are very intelligent and can compete well if afforded the opportunity free of discrimination; this is our message to all.
“We want more and greater inclusion in the scheme of things because people with disability can achieve great things as we have seen many PWDs such as Dr Ebifa excelling in their various fields,” he said.
The convener of Engraced Ones Prayer Support and Advocacy Initiative for Special Needs, Mrs Biboara Yinkere, urged the public to desist from discriminating against children and people with special needs.
Yinkere, sharing her experiences as a mother with a down’s syndrome child, said many people, especially mothers, see special needs children as a scourge in the society and that should not be so because having certain challenges do not make anyone less human.
“My experience with my daughter’s down syndrome has broadened my mind to the challenges faced by PWDs, especially the way people tend to look at them and how expensive their needs are.
“We spend hundreds of thousands of naira to enroll my daughter on special school and on therapy, so you can imagine how costly it is to get them any form of support.
‘You can also imagine how poor parents are coping with the challenges,” she said.
While giving an exposè on her book, Ability in Disability, Miss Nnenna Alabukwu advised PWDs to see their circumstance as a challenge, but should strive to achieve what others can do.
The Alliance Française Port Harcourt in conjunction with the Embassy of France Nigeria over the weekend joined the globe to campaign against the 2025 gender- based violence (GBV) with the theme: “16 Days of Activism Against Gender- Based Voice”
The event which took place at the event Hall of the Alliance Française Port Harcourt was in collaboration with the Female in Gaming Network, ( FIGN) and partnership with Nexal a body that seeks to promote online safety and responsible digital behaviour.
The Tide reports that the project which was aimed at promoting digital safety and girls inclusion in Gaming, with the initiative tagged ‘Gameover Gender- Base Violence’was part of the global campaign against gender- based Violence.
The activity which experienced a flavour of festivity was full of fun and excitements as participants took part in tournaments on popular digital games such as Mario kart and EAFC 25, with an intent to creating safer and more inclusive digital spaces.
The Director of the Alliance Française Port Harcourt, Mrs Marina Lacal said that these activities were designed to encourage inclusion of girls, team work and fair play on online gaming spaces, saying that the gaming world reflects these inequalities, where female players are often under represented.
According to her the main objectives of the initiative was to provide a supportive environment for girls and female in gaming network.
“GameOverGBV” is a project created to reshape this landscape by offering an innovative inclusiveness of girls on online digital Gaming community and digital environments that provide opportunities for creativity, learning and connection, but also fight against Gender-Based Violence Digital Gaming,”she said
She however, explained that the Digital Game, sport competitions, was launched to strengthen social and digital skills through games, workshops, and raise awareness among all young participants about respect, equality and digital citizenship.
The Tide News reports that in Port Harcourt, the competition brought together 100 young participants from three major universities: University of Port Harcourt, ( UNIPORT),Ignatius Ajuru University of Education(IAUE) and Rivers State University (RSU)as well as students from four selected secondary schools, Oginigba comprehensive Secondary.School, Vine lnternational, Virgo predicanda lnternational, and Excellent Montessori Secondary school.
“This is an approach where girls and boys can learn, play and collaborate in a more respectful and safe space for young women, while ensuring a safe, enjoyable and respectful digital environment. It also expose young women to cyberbullying, exclusion, sexist comments and online hate,” Mrs. Lacal said.
Earlier, a game developer Sophia Nei and her. team had engaged participants in an interactive session with the theme: “Can Video Games Be Safe Spaces For Girls?”
However, Mrs Nei and her team educated the girls on the benefits and violence on online digital gaming and urged them ( participants)to learn to say ‘No’ to Online hate, sexist and cyber bullying, while encouraging them(students) to stand up for themselves by reporting such issues to the appropriate authority.
Highlight of the competition was the awarding of prizes to winners by the Director of Alliance Française, Mrs Marina Lacal.
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