By Ishaq Dan-Imam, Lokoja
Governor Usman Ahmed Ododo of Kogi State has appointed Mr. Ibrahim Daniel Arome, a prominent disability rights activist, as Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Grassroots Mobilisation, in what disability groups in the state have described as another milestone for political inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
Arome, who chairs the Kogi State chapter of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), was named to the position in recognition of his political contributions to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the state government. The state government has urged him to mobilise political support for the party and the Ododo administration.
He is not new to public service. Under the administration of former Governor Yahaya Bello, Arome served as pioneer board chairman of the Kogi State Office for Disability Affairs (KOSODA).
His appointment brings to five the number of PWDs named to political office as SSAs under the current administration, following years of advocacy by disability groups in the state for greater political inclusion.
Reacting to the appointment, disability activist Comrade Davies Oluwasegun Solomon said it reflected growing political inclusion in the state, describing Arome as “a vibrant chairman of JONAPWD” who has “proven his political worth” through his loyalty to Governor Ododo and the APC. He credited former Governor Yahaya Bello with signing the state disability law that established KOSODA, and called on the Ododo administration to implement a five percent employment quota for PWDs in the state.
Comrade Samuel Mark, President of the Association of Applicants and Workers with Disabilities in Nigeria, also welcomed the appointment, thanking the state government for giving PWDs “a sense of belonging.” He urged both the Ododo administration and the Tinubu administration to create special legislative seats for persons with disabilities in the State House of Assembly and Local Government legislative councils through constitutional review, to strengthen protections for their education, transportation and socio-economic rights.
