The Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has expressed worry that since 1999 all successive federal administrations have consistently left out the physically challenged in the composition of the Executive Council of the federation.

While canvassing immediate redress of this perennial constitutional violation perpetuated by virtually all successive Federal Administrations in the country, the Rights group tasked the incoming Mohammadu Buhari-led Presidency to ensure that a member of the Nigerian physically challenged community is appointed into the Federal Cabinet.

Conversely, it also tasked the President-elect to maintain the tempo of greater involvement of women in strategic cabinet level positions as institutionalised by the current government or to possibly surpass the antecedent already set by the out-going president Goodluck Jonathan-led federal government by appointing more quality and corrupt free women into the Federal cabinet to achieve gender parity and proper gender mainstreaming into the governance of Nigeria at the highest levels.

HURIWA believes that the continuous non-inclusion of the physically challenged Nigerian citizens in the hierarchy of civil governance at the federal level amounted to the perpetuation of the gross violation of section 14(3) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of 1999 (as amended) and insisted that this persistent right violation must be torpedoed now.

Citing that specific constitutional provision, HURIWA in a statement jointly endorsed by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director, Miss Zainab Yusuf reminded the President-elect and the incoming national ruling party – All Progressives Congress (APC) that the Supreme law states as follows; “The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty.”

HURIWA submits that the physically challenged community is a strategic group that has suffered political alienation even when they form part of the larger federal demographic character of modern day Nigeria and indeed parade significant percentage of academically and morally sound citizens with requisite competences to join the national effort to achieve speedy transformational change of the Nigerian comatose economy.

•Photo shows Onwubiko

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