Mr Chuks Ezewuzie, Special Adviser to Anambra Gov. Willie Obiano on Disability Matters, has said that persons with disability are mostly worst hit in times of pandemic measures compliance.
Ezewuzie said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Awka.
He said that government should make special considerations to be accorded to such persons at all times irrespective of the happenstance.
“If special rights are accorded persons with special needs in the state at all times, people with disability would not be hindered or endangered in time of pandemic or other civic responsibility,” he said.
Ezewuzie urged persons living with disabilities in Anambra to continue to abide by all COVID-19 preventive guidelines and assured that efforts would be made to give a permanent directive as it concerned their welfare in times of disaster.
He said that it had become imperative to proffer a lasting measure in issues affecting persons of special needs in disaster era as disabled persons were the worst hit during emergencies.
Ezewuzie said that a blind or lame man could not maintain social distancing without assistance of an aide because they needed somebody to move them around their desired destinations at all times.
“We do not need to wait for an era of emergencies to plan for the special persons in our midst.
“Concrete plans on how to give them care and give them a sense of belonging should be all time plan, not in pandemic or national calls,” he said.
He advised persons living with disabilities to, as much as possible, shun all forms of clustering and social gathering at the moment for their own good until the challenges of COVID -19 were drastically reduced.
Ezewuzie said that he was confident that the government would put in place permanent measures that would accord persons with needs special attention at all times either during elections, census or pandemic era.
He said that Obiano administration had shown commitment in the affairs and well-being of the persons with special needs and was certain of his willingness to support the group always.
Ezewuzie commended the Anambra State COVID-19 response team for the excellent job they were doing in management of the pandemic as evident in the low record of the case of the pandemic.
He further advised the residents to always care for the special persons in their area as much as they could as a way of serving humanity.
Ezewuzie urged residents and persons with disability in the state to keep observing all the COVID-19 precautionary measures to prevent the Coronavirus from spreading to the communities and as support to fight the spread.
