In marking this year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities, physically challenged people in the state have called for the speedy passage of a bill that aims to improve their welfare.
The alternative
Uche Ekugum, a member of Lagos State Civil Society Disability Policy Partnership, an organisation involved in the advocacy for the passage of the Lagos State Special Peoples Bill by the State House of Assembly, said that the bill when passed will ensure fairness for the most vulnerable people in the society. “The pending Lagos State Special Peoples Bill 2010 has good intentions for all the people of the state, ensuring that fairness and good will spreads to the entire population including the most vulnerable ones, people living with disability,” he said. He therefore pleaded with Babatunde Fashola
, the Governor of Lagos State to assist in ensuring the speedy passage of the bill. “We would like to note here that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has a provision which allows the state House of Assembly to effectively pass the bill when it finds that the governor is foot dragging unnecessarily in signing a bill into law,” he said. “We could only appeal for caution here on the side of the governor not to allow this to happen in his state as it would definitely spoil his good records and tarnish his image even internationally.”
, the Governor of Lagos State to assist in ensuring the speedy passage of the bill. “We would like to note here that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has a provision which allows the state House of Assembly to effectively pass the bill when it finds that the governor is foot dragging unnecessarily in signing a bill into law,” he said. “We could only appeal for caution here on the side of the governor not to allow this to happen in his state as it would definitely spoil his good records and tarnish his image even internationally.”Sharing information
Daniel Onwe, a legal practitioner who drafted the bill, urged people with disabilities to share relevant information among themselves and commended them for their efforts so far. “I want to thank God that today is better than yesterday even though we’ve not gotten all we want,” he said. “Let us share information, let us call for input from all and sundry so that at any given time, we would be able to get all we want. The bill we drafted, we did not manufacture the substance. We had series of stakeholders meeting where we kept improving and improving on what we had. God bless you. You are heroes, you are champions of our time.” In his contribution, Vitus Nwanafio, an Executive Member of Coalition of Disability Organisation, said, in order to reduce poverty in the country, the disability bill must be effective in all states of the federation because of the vulnerable nature of persons with disabilities. “If the federal government will be able to meet the so called reduction of poverty to half by the year 2015, the disability bill in the National House of Assembly and the states must be passed and assented to by the president and the governors respectively,” he said.
In a separate press release signed by David Anyaele, the Executive Director of Centre for Citizens with Disability, the centre expressed concern over the inadequate budgetary allocation given to persons with disabilities in Nigeria. “We are worried that the budgetary allocations by all tiers of government on rehabilitation of persons with disabilities in Nigeria is becoming slimmer every year and we are afraid if this trend continues by the year 2012 there won’t be any budgetary allocation for the rehabilitation and integration of persons with disabilities.” The centre therefore called for improved funding and rehabilitation of Nigerians living with disabilities by all the tiers of government.
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