The management of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), has assured the physically challenged in Nigeria of the Agency’s readiness to improve their lives by encouraging them to become successful entrepreneurs.
The Director General of the agency, Dr. Dikko Umaru Radda made the pledge while receiving the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Disability, Dr. Samuel Ankeli who paid him a visit on Wednesday. He congratulated Dr. Ankeli on his appointment and restated the commitment of the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to carry every Nigerian along in the governance of the country.
The Director General said the time has come for every Nigerian to embrace Entrepreneurship considering the realities of the moment.
“I am delighted to receive you today and I want to assure you that the present Government is doing all it can to ensure physically challenged persons in the country access from the 220 billion naira MSME fund domiciled with the Central Bank, I have held discussion with the CBN Governor and the SGF particularly on how to identify the disabled people and I believe your office will assist us to achieve that”.
Radda pointed out that SMEDAN was ready to work with the office of the Senior Special Assistant particularly in the area of Entrepreneurship development of the physically challenged, “we will partner with you to identify more areas that we can offer technical assistance”
Earlier the Senior Special Assistant to the President Dr. Samuel Ankeli pointed out that he was in SMEDAN to felicitate with Dr. Radda on his recent appointment and also seek ways of partnership with SMEDAN.
He solicited the assistance of the Director General to ensure physically challenged in the country enjoy access to government hospitals, schools and offices.
Dr. Ankali stressed that if the present Administration must succeed, SMEDAN should be supported as it is strategically positioned to re-engineer the economy of the country.
He urged the SMEDAN boss to use his position to prevail on both the Government and the private sector to increase the two percent employment rate presently enjoyed by the physically challenged in government offices to ten percent.
