CCT: Commission commences data gathering of PWDs Monday

The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) has stated that it was set to commence data gathering of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs).

The executive secretary of the Commission, Mr. James Lalu, who disclosed this at a news conference on Friday in Abuja, said the data gathering would cut across the 36 states of the federation and FCT.

Lalu said this would enable the PWDs to benefit from the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) approved for the commission by the Federal Government.

He said that the data collection would commence on July 5 and would ensure that data of 50, 000 persons were collected across the board by the data collection officers of the commission to benefit from the cash transfer.

Lalu, therefore, called on states with disabilities institutions to cooperate and support the officers who would be going out to carry out the task.

He said, “The 50, 000 persons are expected to benefit directly from the conditional cash transfer, associated with Covid-19.

“It is meant to cushion the effects of the pandemic as PWDs have continued to suffer the most all through the peak of the pandemic because of their disabilities.

“Any state government with disabilities institutions will collaborate with our data officers to expand the collection of data to the local government,” he said.

He expressed the commission’s determination to ensure that beneficiaries of the programme truly come from the rural communities.

“Over 80 per cent of PWDs are located at the grassroots and the rural communities have continued to suffer the most, these data will be collected from the grassroots so that the impact of interventions will make meaning in their lives.’’