Buhari appoints blind man as Senior Special Assistant

President Muhammadu Buhari today, February 22, appointed Dr. Samuel Inalegwu Ode Ankeli, a visually impaired man as his Senior Special Assistant on disability issues.

This was disclosed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, in a statement released today.

He said Ankeli will oversee the affairs of persons living with disability in the country.

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The new appointee had headed the Directorate of Persons with Disability at the Buhari/Osinbajo APC Presidential Campaign Headquarters, the Office Shehu described as "the first of any such department in a political party in Nigeria".

"Dr Ankeli hails from Benue State. He went to school in Giwa, near Zaria and Kaduna before reading veterinary medicine at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria," the President's spokesman said.

"He worked with the Benue State government before quitting to give time to his activist role in the promotion of the wellbeing of the blind and people with all kinds of disability. He leads a very active religious and sporting life. He is married and has children".

He said Ankeli had also led a team that successfully mobilised millions of disabled persons in Nigeria to support Buhari and Osinbajo during the 2015 presidential election campaign.