A prominent women-led women and girls advocacy foundation that oversees the welfare of women, children, persons with disabilities and youths mentorship engagement in the area of skill acquisition and empowerment, Amaka Nweke Foundation (ANF) Nigeria, is a champion in synergy for the growth and well-being of the citizenry and has collaboration with several Organizations and the state government in that regard.
In the spirit of synergy and appreciation, Amaka Nweke Foundation has publicly commended the Executive Governor of Enugu State, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Dr. Ifeanyi Lawrence Ugwuanyi and the Enugu State House of Assembly members for the passage of the disability bill into law. The application message was contained in a statement signed by the founder of the foundation, Amb. Mrs Amaka Nweke JP.
It could be recalled that few months ago, it appeared as if the bill will not be a reality. Today, however, the governor has kept to his promise to see to the wellbeing of the disability community when he told them that the bill will be passed into law by the House of Assembly; an indication that he understands their pains and plights. The Disability Bill will enable full integration of persons with disabilities into the society, establish agency and vest in the agency the responsibility for their education, healthcare, social, economic and civil rights and for connected purposes.
Citing some of the benefits of the law. Amb. Mrs Amaka Nweke said that the issue of discrimination of persons with disabilities will be a thing of the past. For the disability community life will be made easier for them because a lot have been put into consideration like prohibition of discrimination and awareness programs, accessibility of physical structures, access to road transportation, liberty, rights to education, healthcare and first considerations in queues, accommodation and in emergency, freedom of access to information opportunity and participation in politics and public life, establishment of Enugu State persons with disability agency and access to special facilities.
"It is with great joy that we celebrate with the people living with disabilities in Enugu in this regard. We are glad to be part of them and have also played roles to this success story. We appreciate the dogged Chairman of Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities JONAPWD Enugu State Chapter Comrade Onyebuchi Mbah for his resilience and courage. For all the civil society organisations and media that have played one role or the other, we rejoice with them"
"We thank in a most special way the people's Governor for this great achievement and we wish to tell His Excellency that posterity will remember him for this as we look forward to him garnishing the Disability Bill with his assent" she stated.
The passage of Disability Bill into Law by the Enugu State House of Assembly in line with Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities Prohibition Act (2018) is a milestone for those affected and probably for all the citizens. Persons that are living with disabilities in Enugu are happy over the passage and signing of a law aimed at reintegrating them fully back into the society.
Disability Law envisages the condition and limitations of persons living with disabilities and makes provision for their inclusion in the society at least as succour to mitigate their emotional and psychological trauma. If this law is implemented, it would alleviate the suffering of persons living with disabilities to a great extent and even curb the menace of using them as object of begging and also relief the relations of this category of Nigerians from bearing the entire burden of catering for them all alone.
