Some Persons Living with Disability (PWD) under the auspices of the Northern Nigeria Disability Forum(NNDF) on Sunday appealed to youth across the country to shelve the planned protest and pray for peace and progress of the country.
The Chairman of the forum, Yerima Sulaiman, made the call shortly after a prayer session it organised for the nation.
Sulaiman who said the group prayed for the economic hardship and insecurity bedeviling the nation added that his members have dissociated themselves from the planned protest slated for August 1.
He said this was because members of his group are usually the most affected during such protests.
We are not interested in the protest because we are the most affected when it comes to protests or lock-downs due to our challenges; most of us go out to source for our daily bread.
We are also not happy with the current economic situation, that is why we gathered here, both the Muslims and Christians to pray for a better Nigeria, ” he said.
Sulaiman lamented the high unemployment rate among the PWDs who were secondary school leavers and graduates, urging the government to include them in recruitments or appointments.
On his part, the National Secretary of the forum, Aminu Umar, said the forum chose to organise the prayer session in Kaduna State due to its diversity of tribe and religion.
He explained that the mission and vision of the forum were to promote peace and unity while protecting the rights of PWDs and advocating better welfare.
Some of the clerics who attended the session commended the forum for organising the prayer session to bolster peaceful coexistence and make Nigeria to become a more progressive nation.
Malam Muhammad Sirajo, the leader of Tsangaya schools in Zaria Local Government Area said prayers solved any problem, saying, ”God answers the prayers of his servants.”
He urged Nigerians to emulate NDF and pray to God to guide the leaders towards improving the lives of the masses and reviving the economy.
Pastor Ibrahim Ajiya of Nazareth Baptist Church , Unguwan Boro, Sabon Tasha, urged youth not to partake in any activity that would cause unrest in the country.
He advised Nigerians to continue praying for the country and put their trust in God while calling the attention of those in power on their plight through dialogue.
