Enugu State Executive Council has approved the automatic
employment of 50 graduates living with disabilities in line with the United
Nations Convention on non-discrimination against such persons.
Commissioner for Information, Ogbuagu Anikwe, said this on
Saturday in Enugu while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the council meeting
held on Friday evening.
Anikwe said that the approval followed council’s
deliberation on a letter of employment appeal from a league of visually impaired
graduate applicants.
“The council received a letter of appeal from unemployed
visually impaired graduates, who are indigenes of the state.
“They wrote to the governor and passionately appealing to be
employed.
“After the consideration of the letter, the council decided
that all physically challenged graduates who are indigenes deserved to be
employed just as their other peers.’’
The commissioner said that with the approval, graduates with
all manner of challenges or impairment would benefit from the gesture.
“The government has decided to give automatic employment to
50 of such challenged individuals from the state, as first batch.
“Other actions will be taken to show that the state is
responsive and treats all citizens equally,’’ he said.
Anikwe said that the beneficiaries would be employed in
their areas of specialisation in the various government ministries and
departments.
“This is one of the things the United Nations and other
international organisations advocate for and Nigeria is a signatory to such non
discrimination conventions.
“So Enugu State is just complying and will not discriminate
against people on the basis of physically challenges or impairment,” he said.
NAN.
