The Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities (JONAPWD) in Ede North, Ede South, Egbedore and Ejigbo Federal Constituency has endorsed the member representing the constituency in the National Assembly, Rep. Bamidele Salam, citing his sustained support and interventions for persons with disabilities.
The constituency coordinator of JONAPWD, Adeyemi Alapa, who disclosed this in a statement, said the endorsement was based on Salam’s interventions in education, employment, economic empowerment, political appointments and inclusion in constituency programmes.
Alapa said the lawmaker had demonstrated that persons with disabilities were important stakeholders in the development of the constituency, rather than people who should only be remembered during election periods.
According to him, Salam’s empowerment programmes had provided members with cash grants, food items and equipment, including sewing machines, grinding machines and dryers, to enable them start or expand businesses.
“He has consistently remembered us during the annual International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Every year, he has used the occasion not just to celebrate with us, but to empower our members with things that can help them become economically independent,” Alapa said.
He also said Salam had supported members struggling with school fees and created employment opportunities for persons with disabilities by engaging some of them in his constituency office.
“Education is very important to us because disability should never become a reason why a person will be denied the opportunity to acquire knowledge and build a future,” he said.
Alapa further highlighted Salam’s political inclusion initiatives, noting that nine members of JONAPWD had been appointed as Special Assistants, while another member was appointed as Special Liaison Officer on Disability Matters.
“This is political inclusion. It means that persons with disabilities are not just beneficiaries of government programmes; they are also part of the decision-making and political structure,” he said.
While acknowledging the interventions, Alapa called for more sustainable programmes, including skills acquisition centres, improved access to credit and employment opportunities, saying the association would continue to advocate for policies that improve the welfare and socioeconomic status of persons with disabilities.
