bY William Attah,
The Advocacy for Disability Act Clustre (ADAC) and Inclusive Friends Association (IFA) have called on the Gombe State Government to establish a Disability Commission to oversee the affairs of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in the state.
Mr Moses Oluwaseyi, Programme Manager Officer of IFA on Advocacy for Disability Act Clustre (ADAC), who represented Grace Jerry, Executive Director, and ADAC Clustre Anchor Inclusive Friends Association IFA, made the call in Gombe during an advocacy visit to Journalists.
About 40,000 people in Gombe State are said to be living with one form of disability or the other and most of them are stigmatized by society making life very difficult for them amidst high-level poverty.
Mr Moses said IFA through USAID is implementing a project promoting the Inclusiveness of PWDs in Governance and socioeconomic development across four states of Abia, Adamawa, Gombe and Taraba States with the aim of domestication the Discrimination Against Persons with Disability Act in the State.
It is also aimed to encourage the establishment of a commission to ensure speedy and smooth implementation of the Act where it has been domesticated.
He said the organization particularly seek collaboration with the media so that it can help increase reportage of issues that relates to PWDs.
According to him, the collaboration with the media will serve as a pressure group to the relevant authorities responsible for establishing the Disability Commission, and media content as well as provide platforms that create a voice for PWDs in the society among others.
He told the Journalists that, “We believe your efforts to implement the above request will ensure that PWDs live their lives to the full potential and some accessible system will be achieved through the creation of the Disability Commission.
“This project is implemented by four organizations who form a consortium called Advocacy for Disability Act Clustre (ADAC), El-New Hope Foundation, Global Youth Empowerment and Vulnerable Initiative, Lawanti Community Development Foundation and Centre for Peace Education and Community Development and led by IFA.
“IFA, a PWD’s and women-led non-profit, non-partisan and non-Governmental Organization, employs data to address the inclusion and participation challenges of Nigeria’s over 30 million PWDs. IFA does this through advocacy, training and research”, he stressed.
Chairman of the Gombe State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Saidu Bappa Malala, assured of its readiness to partner with the organization in ensuring that issues of PWD are put on the front burner of their editorial, news and other contents.
