Group sensitizes stakeholders on Abia State Disability law

…solicits support for implementation

From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia

Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) has embarked on sensitization of critical stakeholders on the Abia State Commission for Disabled Persons Law.

Outgoing Executive Director of CCD, Mr David Anyaele, explained in Umuahia, Abia State capital, during a Media sensitization workshop, that the objective for engaging the stakeholders was to enlist their support for the full implementation of the law in the state.

The law was enacted by the Abia State House of Assembly in August 2022 and was signed into law by the then Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, in November of the same year.

The Disability expert, who was recently appointed Special Assistant to Governor Alex Otti on PWDs, said the gathering was an indication that state government was willing to implement the Abia Disability law and that there was need to sensitise the media to enable them to educate the public properly.

“We are here because we believe that only when the critical stakeholders are aware about the existence of this law that people will respond. It is the role of the media in Abia State that led to the passage of this law.

“The law is here, we cannot use it if the media do not understand it. The law is here, the society will not respond to it, if the media do not understand the content and its provisions. The law is here, majority of Abians would not respond positively, if the media do not educate us very well.

“I strongly believe that if we secure the buy-in of the media in terms of this law, its provision and operationalisation, it will go a long way, not only for our government to respond, but also for Abians to respond so that no one is left behind by reason of disability,” said Anyaele in his opening remarks.

The Governor’s aide recalled that Governor Alex Otti, during his campaigns, promised to prioritise issues of PWDs, adding that the Governor has demonstrated his readiness to fulfill that promise.

“I must say today that we are so lucky to have as a governor, in the person of His Excellency, Dr. Alex Otti, who during his campaign, prioritized issues of People With Disabilities in his campaign manifesto. Part of the key campaign promise is that PWDs will play critical roles in leadership positions in Abia State. And he has called me to be a part of his administration and he has demonstrated it in different ways: PWDs in the state have been sent abroad to participate in competitions in which they won gold medals.

“The recent appointment of the Special Assistant to the Governor on PWDs is a clear demonstration of not just commitment but in practical terms, that the state will put issues of PWDs in the front burner of its development agenda.”

I call on everyone to support us, the government, in pushing that disability issues will be put on the front burner of open discourse, stressing that in his new position, he was open to learning from the media, other critical stakeholders and the public, “areas that we (government) can put more action to ensure that PWDs are not just well taken care of, but that they will contribute to the socio-economic development of the state.”

He hinted that the Disability community would approach the state legislature to amend the Disability law in order to strengthen it. “What we have here today is a product of negotiation that we were able to get. We will go back to the House to improve and strengthen it,” he said.

The Abia State Commission for Disabled Persons Law, in section 26, provides that “No PWD should be discriminated, violated or subjected to prejudices, harmful practices,” among other provisions, including the establishment of a Disability Commission.

He said the law became imperative because models used to characterize disabilities painted pictures that could not attract appropriate responses to PWDs.

For instance, the Charity Model of Disability views “PWDs are victims of circumstance who should be pitied. Their situation is tragic, and they are suffering and, as such, they need special services and institutions; while the Social Model postulates that “it is the society that disables people with disabilities. Therefore solution must be directed to the societal change rather than focus on rehabilitation, adjustment on the part of the PWDs and deliverance.”

He therefore enjoined journalists to always specify the kind of disability they were reporting and not just to lump PWDs as physically challenged persons. According to Anyaele, a report that categorises the blind as physically challenged person would make it difficult for policy makers and government to respond appropriately.

In his goodwill message, Legal Adviser to the Abia Disability Commission, Mr Okey Kalu, commedned CCD for the great work it has done for the disability community in Nigeria, saying that heyr were responsible for the passage of the National Disability law, and also pushed it through many syaye houses of Assembly, including Abia.

Kalu said that all that the PWDs were asking for “is inclusiveness.”

It is estimated that about 400, 000 persons in Abia are suffering from one disability or the other.