By Ishaq Dan-Imam, Lokoja
Unemployed graduates With Disabilities in Kogi State have accused government ministries and agencies of ignoring a law reserving six per cent of recruitments for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), appealing to Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo to order their employment into the state civil service.
The graduates, under the umbrella of Applicants/Workers with Disabilities, Kogi State, said many of their members remained unemployed despite acquiring university degrees and other qualifications, while the legal provision intended to improve their access to public employment remained unimplemented.
In an open appeal signed by the group’s president, Comrade Samuel Mark, they called on Ododo to issue a special recruitment directive and compel ministries, departments and agencies to comply with the disability law.
The group described unemployment as an additional burden for persons already confronting physical, social and financial barriers.
“To live daily as a person with physical disability, blindness, deafness, albinism, spinal cord injury or psychosocial disability is a battle that only the strong-hearted can explain,” the statement said.
Mark said members had invested heavily in their education despite difficulties involving inaccessible classrooms, transportation, assistive devices and the cost of guides, hoping their qualifications would secure them employment and independence.
He said the passage of the Kogi State Disability Law, which provides for six per cent of recruitment to be reserved for persons with disabilities, had raised hopes that the state would address their employment challenges.
“Our hope was revived when Kogi State passed its Disability Law allocating 6% of all recruitments to Persons with Disabilities. Unfortunately, till date, there has not been any intentional step to compel Heads of MDAs to implement this provision. The law exists, but applicants with disabilities are still left on the streets with certificates and no job,” he said.
The group lamented that many qualified applicants had remained at home, depending on relatives and charity despite holding First Class, Second Class Upper, National Certificate in Education, National Diploma and master’s degrees.
According to Mark, the lack of regular income has made it difficult for some members to maintain wheelchairs, purchase white canes and hearing aids, and meet other essential needs.
He added that persons with disabilities often faced greater difficulties securing alternative sources of income because of mobility challenges and barriers to accessing informal work.
The applicants stressed that they were not seeking charity but an opportunity to earn a living and contribute to the state’s development.
“We are passionately appealing for a special approval and directive for the recruitment of persons with disabilities into the Kogi State Civil Service. Give us jobs, and you will give us dignity,” the statement said.
The group argued that employment would enable its members to meet their needs independently rather than rely on occasional government assistance or financial support from relatives.
It urged Ododo to demonstrate political will by ensuring that the relevant ministries and agencies implement the six per cent provision.
The appeal places the spotlight on the implementation of disability-related employment protections in Kogi State, with the applicants asking the government to translate the legal provision into concrete recruitment opportunities.
The specific recruitment records of the affected ministries and agencies were not provided in the appeal, and the group’s allegations could not be independently verified from the information available.
