The Chairman of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, JONAPWD, Enugu State Chapter Comrade Onyebuchi Mba on Thursday appealed to the Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and the members of the Enugu State House of Assembly to expedite action in domesticating the Disability Law before change of leadership baton on 29th May, 2023.
“We the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities appreciate immensely the Executive Governor of Enugu State, the Speaker and Leaders of the legislative members for their benevolence and commitment towards disability issues and inclusiveness in governance of our dear State Enugu.”
“However, we also call on the leadership of the State Assembly to please act fast in exigency for the final passage of the Bill and have their names written in gold as we look up to them in tears as victims of abuses and discriminations of all-sorts, which this Bill if passed into law intends to address and promote our dignity,” the Chairman said.
The bill for a law to provide for the full integration of persons with disabilities into the society, establish the Enugu State persons with disabilities for their education, healthcare, social, economic and civil rights, and for connected purposes bill (HB 4), 2022 successfully scaled through 1st, 2nd reading and public hearing on the 16th day of November, 2022.
“After the public hearing, we have been left in the dark concerning the committee’s reports for adoption and formal passage of the Bill,” Mbah regrets.
“Passing this bill into law will be a legacy and posterity will commend this present administration for their roles in domesticating the bill,” he said.
The Chairman called on government to see life of disability from Human Rights based approach rather than Charity or philanthropic approach.
“Our central message is inclusion, integration, justice and fairness for all. Charity, giving alms is good but if government sets up law to capture interest of persons with disability, it becomes institutionalized,” Comrade Mba posits.
The Disability law is not only functional in the National level but over 20 states of the Federation have domesticated the law.
Recall that during the House debate on the bill, members called for a careful scrutiny of the bill as regards its implementation; could this be the reason for delay in its passage or was it abandoned by lawmakers as they focused on campaign for re-election during the 2023 general elections?
“May the bill never be swapped with the 2023 polity we pray? May our hope never be dashed again after many years of hopelessness we pray?”
“The delay in domesticating the National Disability Law in Enugu state is frustrating and discouraging to the disability community,”
“We plead with the Honourable members to give us this bill as a tool towards changing the negatively conceived societal narrative towards persons with disabilities in Enugu state.”
“Many of the persons living with disability are on the street begging to survive. We wish to move them out of the street but even the Rehabilitation centre provided needs refurbishment,” JONAPWD Enugu state chapter Chairman said.
The Disability bill seeks that public building plans be approved only if the plan makes provisions for accessibility aids, sign language becomes an official language, PWDs be not discriminated against on ground of their disability by any person or institution in any manner or circumstance amongst others.
Transitory period of ten years is also provided by the bill within which all public buildings and structures, whether immovable, movable, or automobile, that were inaccessible to persons with disabilities shall be modified to be accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities including those on wheelchairs.
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One comment
Odo Ignatius Chukwuemeka
March 31, 2023 at 9:42 pm
It will be a great thing of joy if before the 29th May, 2023 the present Enugu State Administration and House of Assembly domesticate the Disability bill as has since been done in a good number of States across the Federation.