Christopher Nwanoro, a disability rights activist, has called on the federal government to support his bid to represent Africa on the UN Committee on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

He said this on Wednesday in Abuja during a media conference about his candidacy, adding that his presence on the committee would help champion the cause of persons with disabilities in Nigeria and Africa.

Mr Nwanoro, who is visually impaired, said having a Nigerian representative on the committee would benefit the country. He said the government nominated him in 2022 to represent Nigeria and possibly Africa in the UN CRPD elections scheduled for June 11 in New York.

He explained that CRPD is a committee of experts selected from each continent to represent and fight for the rights of PWDs.

According to him, Morocco and Malawi are also vying for the position.

He said, “It was based on what I have done for this country that the government deemed it necessary to nominate me to represent Nigeria and possibly Africa on the committee. So going out there will make a meaningful impact to bring a lot of opportunities that the Western world has been enjoining and bring them to our people here in Nigeria.

“I have a lot of things I’m going to attract to Nigeria. The committee is where major decisions that concern PWDs globally are taken. We are going to look at the issue of assistive technology. We also have the issue of accessibility that for instance, some public buildings in Nigeria, in Africa, are not accessible for PWDs. In the Western world, the transportation system is accessible to PWDs and we would like to replicate such in Africa.”

However, Mr Nwanoro appealed to President Bola Tinubu to help pursue the course, adding that it aligned with his ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’.

Mr Nwanoro is currently a deputy director of the International Organisations Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

(NAN)