Vocational equipment of different types were handed over to some people living with disabilities by the state government through the Ministry of Children and Women Affairs.

The program which was in conjunction with Office of the Governor on Persons with Disabilities was held at Professor Dora Akunyili Women Development Center, Awka.

The program which was the state government interactive session with persons living with disabilities on inclusive policies and programs, attracted members of the Associations of People living with Disabilities across the state.

Addressing the gathering, Governor Willie Obiano, said his administration is running an all inclusive government and have given voice, concern and equal attention to disabilities community.

Governor Obiano represented by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Disability Matters, Barrister Chuks Ezewuzie, recalled that the present administration has signed into law, the Disability Rights which prohibits discrimination against persons living with disabilities and has mandated that all projects to be cited in the state must be handicap accessible.

The Commissioner for Children and Women Affairs, Lady Ndidi Mezue represented by the Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Hope Ekesiobi, said the Ministry has four technical departments including the Rehabilitation Department which has given the physically challenged much attention including empowerment in various ways so as to make life meaningful for them.

For the Director of Rehabilitation Department, Mr. Jude Nwakaeme, the present administration holds in high esteem, activities of persons with disabilities and will leave no stone unturned in ensuring they continue to improve their lives in all aspects.

In his remarks, the chairman on the occasion, Mr. Ugochukwu Okeke who is the state Chairman of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, said the event is unique and historic as different Ministries, Departments and Agencies will deliberate on inclusive policies and commended Governor Obiano for running a transparent and open government.

In a paper presentation on “inclusive and policy program for the disabilities,” Mrs. Josephine Aguoji of Colombia University, New York, maintained that physically challenged persons should not be isolated but be integrated into the mainstream of all policies while they keep monitoring people around to ensure they did not violate their rights.

While commending the state government for empowering them, the best web design student in the just concluded programs organized by the Ministry of Women Affairs for the disabled, Miss Ncheta Nwanokwara, expressed happiness over the equipment provided them, stating that it will go a long way in making them self reliant. (ABS)

by Chris Agbo

Centre for Citizen with Disabilities (CCD) on Thursday organized the first Disability roundtable on the implementation of the disability act. The program which was supported by Kingdoms of the Netherlands brought together Federal Line Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, line National Assembly Committees on disability issues, the media and civil society organizations.  The roundtable which would be ongoing is to stimulate the interest of the Federal Government for the implementation of the National Disability Act through sensitization of line Ministries, Departments and Agencies on their roles and responsibilities in the implementation of the Act, and identify areas for collaboration to ensure no one is left behind in the implementation of the Act.

The Executive Director, CCD David Obinna Anyaele in his remark narrated a story on how CCD came into being, which he said that it was as a result of his ordeal at the hands of the rebels in Sierra Leone simply because he is a Nigerian, his hands were chopped off. CCD was founded in 2002 and it was formerly Amputees Rehabilitation Foundation incorporated with CAC as a charity organization. It was modified into CCD to be in a better position to engage in the issues of all forms of disability. CCD over the years has continue to seek a redefinition of society’s perception of the plights of persons with disabilities. This is evident in some success stories recorded such as mainstreaming persons with disabilities in the HIV/AIDS programmes, building advocacy capacity of persons with disabilities and the media and most  significantly was CCD collaboration with other organizations of persons with disabilities to fight restlessly to break the 18 years delay for the passage of the Discrimination against persons with disabilities (Prohibition Act) 2018. He thanked President Buhari for assenting to the bill and he appreciated the leadership and members of the 8^th National Assembly for the role they played, the organizations of people with disabilities and development partners for their role, the media and families and friends of the disability community.

Nigeria being the country with the largest number of persons with disabilities in Africa with estimated number of more than 25million Nigerians with disabilities with 80% living in the rural areas with minimum access to social infrastructures. It is pertinent that we take seriously the plights of Nigerians with disabilities. CCD’s research findings in six states including Abuja show that more than 99.5% of our public infrastructures are not accessible to persons with disabilities and National Assembly Complex is no exception. The MDAs responsible for implementation of the rehabilitation of Persons with disabilities are not accessible to persons with disabilities.

The CCD roundtable on the National Disability Act is a demonstration of CCD resolve to ensure that the Act is fully implemented. Generate commitments from some quarters on their roles on the implementation of the Disability Act and hold them accountable on their commitments.

He left the participants with food for thought which is when we are discussing disability, we are not talking about people living with it today but about everybody. He reminded that he was not born with disability so it can happen to anybody.

Abiola Labinjo, Deputy Director representing the Minister of Finance, Budget and Planning assured that the ministry is in support of the Disability rights Act and urge other ministries who are saddled with responsibilities of carrying out government projects to consider and add disability related programmes in their budgets.

 Florence I. Owonaro (senior state counsel (Citizens Rights Department)) representing the Minister of Justice said that the Minister of Justice is in the full support of the implementation of the act.

Mrs Uche Chuta, Assist Director, representing the Minister of Information and Culture while giving gratitude to Mr. President for putting smiles on the faces of Nigerians with disabilities pledge to support the implementation of the Nigeria Disability Act and call on other MDAs, private organizations and Individuals to do everything within their responsibilities to ensure that Nigeria Disability Rights Act is fully implemented.

Sunday Hezekiah, Assistant Director, representing the Minister of Women Affairs, on mentioning some of the ministry’s achievements such as distribution of mobility aids to persons with disabilities, economic empowerment of persons with disabilities and the ministry also supported the moves that eventually resulted to the signing of the disability bill into law. He assured the Ministry continued commitment to ensure the full implementation of the Act.

Aisuedion Abel Akhere( Assistant Director) representing Minister of Education said that the ministry have achieved giant strides in mainstreaming persons with disabilities such as formulation of National Policy on Inclusive Education and its implementation guideline, National Policy on Albinism and its implementation guideline, National Policy on Special Education and its implementation guideline, all these policies are meant to mainstream persons with disabilities and the ministry is committed towards ensuring that Nigeria Disability Act is implemented.

Patricia Aniebue, Assistant Director (OSSAP SDGs) representing Senior Special Assistant to President on SDGs said that the SDGs office is ready to collaborate with disability organizations to see to the implementation of the act.

Rt. Hon. (Pharm) Donatus Uzoemena representing Distinguished Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu while reading the senator’s remark, commended the CCD for their doggedness and commitment to ensure that disability right bill was signed into law. The senator was delighted to be part of 8^th Assembly and part of history on the disability rights bill as a co-sponsor of the bill. He commended Mr. President for doing the needful to sign the bill into law following 9 years of restless advocacy on disability rights in Nigeria. Before now, people with disabilities are not seen as one of the integral parts of the society, the act is poised to ensure that persons with disabilities are seen as equal partner in the economic development of the society. One of key position of the act mandates the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture to ensure awareness creation and promotion of the provision of the act to the benefits of the persons with disabilities. Nigerians need to know what is expected of them arising from the content of the Act before the act will have significant effect on the lives and daily living of persons with disabilities.

He assured that he will use his position in the Senate committee on Labour to ensure that within the labour law that persons with disabilities rights to employment are implemented. He promised that he is open to be a contact person to National Assembly for persons with disabilities to ensure that NASS will do whatever they can within the legislative guideline to see to the implementation of Nigeria Disability Law.

M.D Hassan, Director, Legal Services, National Assembly representing the clerk in his remark narrated how joyful he was when the bill was assented to knowing all the efforts some of them within the National Assembly has putting in to ensure the passage. He assured that the office of the clerk will continue to work with CCD in the engagement of the National Assembly to ensure the full implementation of the Act.

The highlight of the event was presentation made by Barrister Okey Kanu, a person with disability and Disability advocate on National Disability Act: The Role of The MDAs. He broke down the act section by section and mention MDAs who will be responsible for the implementation of each section. It was detailed and it provided enough requisite information for MDAs to know their roles and run with it.

At the end of the meeting, MDAs present agreed to collaborate with persons with disabilities in ensuring the implementation of the act but there was unanimous decision that the centre should channel more effort towards establishment of the National Disability Commission because it is the vehicle that will propel the quicker implementation of the act. On this vein, representatives of the various MDAs offered to assist to establish relationship with their MDAs to the realization of the National Disability Commission as soon as possible.

Other participants at event are Sister Fidela Unigwe from Daughters of Charity, Noel Balogun from Disability Rights Advocacy Centre (DRAC), Agbo Christian from The Qualitative Magazine, Chinonso Obodo from Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Aver Akighir a CCD volunteer, Members of Nigeria National Association of the Deaf, Lawrence Idemudia Edeifo, Ephraim Omoregie and Helen Beyioku-alase, Theophilus Odaudu from Disability Rights Fund, Obinna Ekujereonye from National Association of the Blind and other members of disability community.

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by Chris Agbo

Abuja Association of the Deaf (AAD) organized a seminar on sign language and exhibition Expo as part of the activities of 2019 Deaf Week Celebration. The International Deaf week is an annual event marked all over of the world to reflect on the plights of the deaf. It is one of the major projects of Nigeria National Association of the Deaf (NNAD) as well as the world body for the deaf (WFD). The theme for 2019 international deaf week is “Sign Language Rights for all”.

The Chairman of AAD, Mr. Omoregie Ephraim A. (JP) in his address said that the theme of this year’s International week of the deaf emphasized the importance of sign language to the deaf because it is the means whereby the deaf communicate among themselves and with others wherever they found themselves. Therefore, it is important that efforts are in place to ensure that deaf people are not denied the basic right that is fundamental to the day to day living of the deaf. The week is to enlighten the public to understand the deaf and their way of life. The event will promote inclusiveness in education, employment, access to information and improve the right of the deaf as part of the society.

Speaking further, he called on government to adopt sign language as one of the major languages in Nigeria because it is the mode of communication of millions of deaf community in Nigeria and this community is excluded when they can not communicate effectively with other members of the society. If a greater number of the members of the society can understand sign language, the barrier of the deaf must have been removed. He also appealed that government come to the aid of the Deaf in the area of empowerment of the deaf to enable them to be self-reliant and contribute their quota to national building. He reminded the week is to raise advocacy for government to abide by the United Nations Convention on Rights of Person with Disabilities (UNCRPD) which Nigeria is a signatory with emphasis on sign language.

Lawrence Idemudia Edelifo, a member, Board of Trustees (NNAD) in his lecture at the event said that sign language is a right for the deaf because it is their language and denying them of it amounts to infringing on their inalienable rights of freedom of expression and right to live a meaningful life. He suggested that we can achieve Sign Language Rights for All when we begin to do what is happening in the advanced community where parents and siblings of the deaf learn and master sign language because family represent the foundation of learning and socialization. Teachers will be well versed in sign language as a matter of fact, Nigeria should design and develop Nigeria National Sign Language which will be unique and peculiar to us here. Sign language should be introduced into the school curriculum. Since Nigeria has signed and ratified CRPD and the Disability Act being in place, all is set to get the job done. What is left now is implementation to activate Article 21: b,e of the CRPD.

The event witnessed goodwill messages from Grace Mama (Department of Public Enlightenment and Mass Mobilization) representing the Director General National Orientation Agency who assured the Association of collaboration to ensure that awareness is being created around sign language in Nigeria.

Ujah A, FCT JONAPWD Chairman and a deaf taught the participants especially those who can not sign alphabets in sign language in the admiration of all. He urges the deaf community to go there and teach everybody sign language and if it continues, there will come a time that majority will know sign language.

Dr. Ibitoye Racheal during her goodwill message told a story on how she learnt sign language while helping out a deaf person and the sign language has brought so many goodies to her life.

Agbo Christian Obiora, the Qualitative Magazine Publisher, in his goodwill message called for the adoption of sign language as one of the major languages in Nigeria, and it should be learnt by everybody because it is a communication of a segment of population who have been excluded through communication. He urges every Nigerian to make effort to learn sign language which he offered to start learning and asked for volunteers to teach him and some sign language interpreters obliged him.

Queen Janet Fasakin, the AAD women leader narrated how she was isolating herself from people because she went to school mingled with other deaf and learnt sign language which has made her bolder and proud and she is doing all she wants to do and she is now proudly working in NTA.

There was also goodwill message from Dr. Austin Kemie for Yakubu Gowon Centre. The event was rounded up with a drama that showed how sign language can dignify the lives of the deaf.

Some of the member showcased some beautiful handmade hats, purse, etc at the entrance of the venue of the event.

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Cedarcrest hospital under its non-profit initiative Cedarcrest Polio Centre on Wednesday 23^rd October, 2019 organized an awareness walk as one of its numerous activities to mark world polio day 2019.

The staff, friends and polio survivors walked from the Cedarcrest hospital to Gudu roundabout towards Gudu market, and walked back to the hospital. The team were distributing awareness fliers to people along the way.

It would be recalled among this awareness walk, Cedarcrest polio centre have organized a two-day conference and they are also offering free medical treatment to polio survivors to commemorate world polio day 2019.

The hospital through Cedarcrest Polio Centre will be open to polio survivors through the polio week and beyond for free medical examination.  

SOME PICTURES OF THE AWARENESS WALK

Dr Felix Ogedegbe, Medical Director, Cedarcrest Hospital, Abuja, has promised to give free medical treatment to 100 Nigerians affected by polio as part of events to commemorate the 2019 World Polio Day. Ogedegbe made the promise on Monday in Abuja at the Cedarcrest Polio Week event and the Continuing Professional Development (CPD), lecture organised by Cedarcrest Polio Centre.

The Cedarcrest Polio Centre in Abuja is a non-profit making initiative in collaboration with Cedarcrest Hospitals, Rotary Club of Koblenz, Germany, the Polio Centre of Catholic Hospital Koblenz/Montabaur and Ottobock.

The aim was to make treatment available to people living with residual deformities after suffering from an acute poliomyelitis infection.

According to Ogedegbe, for the first time in Nigeria, people who have been affected by polio will be receiving medical care and free assessment and treatment. “The centre, a non-profit making organisation, aims to bring advanced post-polio care to the reach of millions of Nigerians living with complications of poliomyelitis.

“As Nigeria continues to work towards the eradication of the threat of polio across the country, there is need to provide support services to polio survivors. “Cedarcrest Polio Centre celebrates the success the country has made in moving towards a nation without polio, while still acknowledging more work needs to be done. “Our centre works with the support of the Rotary Club of Koblenz, Germany, the Polio Centre of the Catholic Hospital Koblenz/Montabaur and Ottobock, to connect polio survivors, share information and resources with polio survivors. “We try to shine light on the post-polio syndrome that some of them live with,” he said. The medical director said many polio survivors were suffering from treatable medical complications and preventable secondary deterioration while the medical community in general is unaware of recent advances in polio care. “They tell them nothing can be done,” he said. Ogedegbe noted that the centre would also provide education for those unfamiliar with polio and to caregivers helping those with post-polio syndrome. Speaking on Post-Polio facts, he said it was “sequelae symptoms” (sequela is a pathological condition resulting from a disease, injury, therapy, or other trauma) which affects the ability to perform the activities of daily living, increase care needs, assistance and impact on quality of life. He said the risk factors were paralytic poliomyelitis, diagnosis requiring hospitalisation with greater physical activity in the intervening years. The medical director stressed that the prevalence of poliomyelitis has continued to decrease, while acknowledging the efforts of multiple immunisation programmes and prevention drives. “The burden of those who have already contracted poliomyelitis and live with sequelae remains to be attended to. “Our goal is to prevent long-term suffering and improve the quality of life through modern specialist post-polio treatment including prosthetic orthotic solutions and physiotherapy,” he explained. (NAN)

by Chris Agbo

Disability Rights Advocacy Centre (DRAC) on Monday 21^st October 2019 organized an awareness walk known as Fountain Walk to commemorate World Polio Day 2019. The event/ rally was supported by the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (ROLAC) Programme funded by European Union and implemented by British Council. The theme of 2019 World Polio Day is Beyond polio eradication: Access to multi-sectoral Services for Polio Survivors.

Executive Director, DRAC Dr. Irene Ojiugo Patrick-Ogbogu in a press statement reaffirmed the commitment of DRAC in collaboration with other stakeholders and partners to eradicate polio completely and also intensifying efforts to rehabilitate and reintegrate the teeming population of polio survivors left with the disabling effects of the disease. The rally was designed to draw attention of the authorities and the public to the gross injustice and inequality as well as shift attention to the plights of polio survivors.

She called on authorities concern to keep vigilant because the seeming elimination of new polio cases doesn’t signal the end of the polio cases. She cautioned that the eradication of polio should not be seen as complete while those living with the disabling consequences of it continue to live in poverty and social isolation. She urged the relevant authorities to adopt the twin track approach of identifying and eliminating the polio virus while ensuring that they rehabilitate polio survivors who are facing health consequences and social consequences of polio.

Polio survivors faced many challenges such as equal access to health, education and employment opportunities, poverty and mobility aids, all these falls within the mandate of the CRPD and Nigeria Disability Rights Act therefore the needs of the polio survivors lay squarely to state intervention.

DRAC founder who is also a polio survivor explained that polio survivors confront not only a range of physical disabilities but also significant social, financial and human rights barriers hindering their integration and participation in families and communities. These barriers lead to chronic ill-health, social marginalization, limited access to education and employment and high rates of poverty. Women are impacted more and individuals from poor homes, minority communities and from rural and urban slum areas.

In accordance to Article 31 of the Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (CRPD), she drew the attention of the authorities to the need for data for PWDs because inadequate knowledge of it has profound political, social and economic implications for local, national and international policy makers.

She praised the range of innovative strategies being used to reach out to children in high risk areas, opportunistic campaigns, market vaccination, cross border points and outreach to nomads and advised that to halt the outbreak in its entirety, all stakeholders and partners must work together to increase community based awareness, enhance surveillance to identify residual traces of the virus and ensure that all children are vaccinated with at least three doses of the oral polio vaccine.

She reminded that persons with disabilities are looking forward to government to expedite action on the implementation of the Disability Rights Act without further delay including the setting up of the National Disability Commission to ensure that the health and socio-economic needs of the polio survivors are swiftly addressed.

The event witnessed the presence of The Chairman of the Nigeria Association of the Blind FCT and members of NAB, Obinna Ekujereonye, Idemudia Lawrence from The Nigerian National Association of the Deaf, Hayat foundation, Cedarcrest Hospital (Cedarcrest Polio centre, members of the albino foundation, polio survivors from all works of life.

There were goodwill messages from NAB FCT, NNAD, Hayat Foundation, Kalamajiji community and Cedarcrest hospital.

The event was full of fun as some successful polio survivors like  Nike Akinola, Miracle Eberendu Onyinyechi, Israel Akpan, Agbo Chris and Dr. Irene Ojiugo Patrick-Ogbogu  shared their life experiences to add their voice on the advocacy for better welfare of the polio survivor and also to serve as role models to other polio survivors who may have given up in life as a result of the stigma associated to polio.

The event was spiced up by a dance group and a drama portraying discrimination when it come to employment opportunities and the awareness creation on the Disability Rights Act.

The Program Officer Noel Balogun displayed the simplified version of the Discrimination against persons with disabilities Prohibition Act 2018 at the event for an awareness creation about the act and some copies of the simplified version of Act provided by DRAC was distributed.

The participants at the event went round to sign petitions carrying the messages polio survivors are sending out to the authorities to address their attention to the challenges confronting them as a result of the disabling condition that polio brings.

Polio is a highly infectious disease which is as life threatening as it is disabling, it is also known as “Poliomyelitis” in medical terms, it is a disease caused by the deadly “poliovirus” usually affecting children under age 5. This virus mainly affects the nervous system, leaving the person with a weak, impaired leg and unable to walk normally for the rest of their lives. In some cases, the neck or head muscles may also be affected.

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