Anambra Disability Rights Commission Implements Solution Vision For PWDs

The Anambra State Disability Rights Commission is set to implement the Solution Vision for persons with disabilities in the state.

The Chairman of the Commission, Barrister Chuks Ezewuzie, who called on the federal and state governments to always include the disabled in their budgets, disclosed this during a press briefing on the outcome of the quarterly meeting of the Commission held in Awka the state capital.

According to Barrister Ezewuzie, the commission deliberated on wide range of disability issues and adopted two important actionable plans, which are the appointment of the commission’s liaison officers in the 21 local government areas of the state, 179 communities and 326 wards in the state, and to set up persons living with disabilities fund to oversee to the welfare of their members in the state.

The ASDRC Chairman noted that in order to pull persons living with disabilities out of poverty, they are going to establish what he called “Access Market Pavilion (AVP)” establish cooperative society for their members, credit facilities for entrepreneurs with disabilities, trade fair for merchants and skilled persons living with disabilities, among numerous others.

“Our plan is that in every village, we seek out the leaders there and have them compile a list of persons with disabilities in their kindred and submit such to our representative in the community who will in turn, take it to the local government for further release to the state disability commission.”

He continued, “Our intention is to take the services beyond the urban centres. We want to be sure that every Senatorial zone has the presence of the commission. We will work with the transition committee chairmen of all the 21 local government areas, the monarchs, and the president generals to achieve the goal.

“In all the communities, we will name a disabilities services centre where disability issues would be handled. Every town union executive will have a representative of the disability rights commission who hails from the town and who would help step down our services there,” Ezewuzie said.

He disclosed that the persons living with disabilities fund as stipulated by Section 16 of the Anambra State Disability Rights Law 2018 will have Bishop Moses Ezedebego, a member of the Commission as Chairman of the fund raising committee to actualize the plan.

He appreciated Governor Chukwuma Soludo for the approval of memos to furnish and equip the Commission with state of the art equipment after creating an independent budget line for the Commission, as well as Dr. Pat Okeke, another member of the Commission and wife of Chief Godwin Okeke who built and donated two classroom and hostel blocks at Central School, Odoakpu Onitsha which is a special school for the deaf.

He further commended all the friends and associates of the commission, especially the Rule of Law, and Anti-corruption program (RoLAC), a program of the European Union implemented by International IDEA for sponsoring accessibility audit research of Ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) in Anambra state, the result of which he said were currently yielding fruit and bringing solution to accessibility needs of persons with disabilities in the State.

Ezewuzie affirmed that the commission is not an NGO, but an arm of government designed to serve persons with disabilities. He also said that the commission is looking forward to attracting international donors from partners to support what government is doing.

He added that the commission is poised now and more than ever to ensure that PWDs in Anambra state, as Anambra is the light of the nation, will not only show the way but also go the way.

He urged Nigerians to always consider the health implications of stigmatizing the disabled and accept live peacefully with them.

The Anambra State Disability Rights Commission was set up by Section 3 of Anambra State Disability Rights Law 2018, as one stop shop for all disability services and related matters in Anambra.