In order to arrest planned protest against his government over non compliance with the 5% quota mandated by Osun Disability Protection Act in every recruitment, Governor Ademola Adeleke on Wednesday met with leadership of Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities.
The JONAPWD leadership accused the government of only giving them 13 slots in the 914 recruited teachers and administrators.
The Osun State Disability Protection Act 2024 mandated government to reserve 5% of every recruitment for the persons with disabilities in order to ensure inclusion.
Some members of the Disability Community accused the government of reneging on its earlier promise to ensure the rights of Persons with Disabilities are protected, citing direct assurance from the Commissioner for Education, Dipo Eluwole during a meeting held on February 3, this year.
Following the release of the list, the Association had planned to stage a protest in Osogbo, leading to tension between the government representatives and the PWDs.
The Association said only 13 slots were given to the Disability Community as against 46, which is 5% of the total 914.
It was gathered that the Executive Secretary of the Bureau, Ayobami Oyewumi Oyetunde arranged the meeting between the governor and the PWDs as his intervention did not yield any positive results.
Some members also accused the Bureau of Disability of not doing enough for the community.
At the meeting held at the Banquet Hall of the Government House, Governor Adeleke appealed to the leadership of the Association, promising that their quota would be improved in the next batch.
The Governor said the inability to access the local government allocations led to the reduction in the number of the successful candidates.
According to a statement by Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke promised that his administration will continue to have their welfare prioritised.
“I prioritise your welfare and inclusion in governance. Our administration will continue to ensure that persons with disabilities are not left behind in our programmes and policies,” the Governor said.
Also present were the Deputy Governor, Prince Kola Adewusi; the Head of Service, Elder Ayanleye Aina; Special Adviser to the Governor on Disability Matters, Kamil; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr Kehinde Adekilekun; JONAPWD Secretary, Mr Sunday Smith; and the association’s Women Leader, Mrs Isola Omotola Elizabeth.
Advertisement
