Persons living with disability
The Hope Alive for Possibilities Initiative and the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities in Benue State have called on the state governor, Hyacinth Alia, to sign the state’s disability bill.
The disability bill that was transmitted to the Benue State Assembly, October 11, 2024, was on Friday passed by the assembly.
The Executive Director, Hope Alive for Possibilities Initiative, Aver Akighir made the appeal during a press conference in Makurdi.
Akighir said, “But let me be clear, passing the bill is not the destination. It is the beginning. We must now work together to ensure implementation, awareness, accessibility, and budgetary allocation.
“We must remain vigilant to ensure that this law is not only signed, but also respected, enforced, and translated into lived realities.”
With the executive assent, the bill will guarantee legal backing for the rights, inclusion, and social protection of over 15 per cent of the state’s population with disabilities.
The groups further appealed to the state governor to establish a disability commission with adequate funding and authority, grant budgetary allocations to support assistive technologiesand inclusive education with healthcare.
It equally harped the need to adopt a disability inclusive civil service recruitment plan in line with the 5 per cent employment quota and to ensure political appointments of persons with disabilities into key decision-making positions.
It urged the government to ensure public awareness campaigns to combat stigmatization of persons living with disabilities and promote equal inclusion.
In his speech, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Hyacinth Alia on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, Bem Anshe, appreciated all the groups, for their pivotal roles in the passage of the disability bill.
He assured the groups of the governor’s commitment to the plight of people with disabilities in the state and promised that the governor would not hesitate to speedily assent to the bill.
