Centre for Citizens with Disabilities ( CCD) flays Abia govt for neglecting persons with disability

www.odogwublog.com reports that a non governmental organisation ( NGO), Centre for Citizens with Disabilities ( CCD), has criticised Abia State Government for alleged neglect of persons living with disabilities.

The Executive Director of CCD, Mr. David Anyaele in a press conference yesterday in Umuahia, said the state government was not doing enough to carry persons with disabilities along in its programmes and policies.

Anyaele was flanked at the press conference by the leaderships of various organizations of persons with disabilities including  Physically Challenged Association of Nigeria, National Association of the Blind, National Association of the Deaf & Dumb, Albino Associations of Nigeria, Spinal Cord Injuries Association of Nigeria, among others.

He regretted that "Abia State Government for the past three years has not sponsored its blind citizens to the Nigeria Farm Craft Centre for the Blind in Lagos for the rehabilitaion of newly blind people."

This development, according to him, has led to other states taking the slot of Abia at the centre.

He said that the  challenge was further compounded by the absence of policy and legal framework to protect citizens with disabilities from discrimination and other harmful practices in the state.

The CCD boss accused the state government of marginalizing persons with disabilities in political appointments, regretting that the few who were appointed were not given any operational office.

His words: " A situation whereby individuals appointed as Senior Special Assistant, and Special Assistant to the Governor on Disability Matters have no office let alone staff is a disdain treatment , a further ridiculing of the disability community.

" These individuals have no clear roles and responsibilities, hence they wander about from one office to the other begging for assistance  to procure materials as little as stationeries ," he regretted.

He called on governments at all levels to give due recognition to persons living with disabilities which according to him constitute one of the most vulnerable social groups in Nigeria.

Anyaele said that persons with disabilities in Nigeria are exposed to discrimination, exclusion, marginalisation, and isolation due to absence of legislative framework to protect them from harmful practices as many view them  as "accursed people".

The CCD boss who regretted that only seven out of the 36 states in the country have disability laws, called for immediate harmonisation of the disability bill already passed by both chambers of the National Assembly.

On the ongoing voters' registration, Anyaele called for special provision for persons living  with disabilities so as not to disenfranchise them.

" The non- inclusion of disability data in the registration and siting of INEC offices in areas that are not accessible to physically challenged is worrisome", he said.