The umbrella body of all non-governmental organisations in Gombe State known as the Association of NGOs (ANGO) has called for speedy passage of the disability bill by the state House of Assembly and establishment of the Disability Commission by the state governor Inuwa Yahaya.
ANGO in collaboration with Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Gombe State chapter and Advocacy for Disability Act Cluster (ADAC) made the call at a joint press conference yesterday.
The state secretary of ANGO, Bachama Yusuf, said their priorities in the state is to promote the rights, inclusion and access for persons with disabilities as enshrined in the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities which Nigeria is signatory to and the National Disability Act 2018.
Also speaking, the chairman of the Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities (JONAPWD), Gombe State chapter Adamu Ishaku said the association with support from other relevant civil society organisations and NGOs in the state had developed a bill tagged ‘Gombe State Disability Bill’ which was at the moment in the process of transmission from the executive arm of government to the assembly.
He appealed to the lawmakers to hasten the passage of the bill and for the state governor to assent to it with a view to paving the way for the takeoff of the Disability Commission before the upcoming democracy day celebration on May 29.
According to him, 18 states in the country had passed the bills adding that when it takes off, the commission will take care of persons with disabilities better by giving them a sense of belonging and free education, health care and equal opportunities in employment, welfare and access to public facilities and buildings.
“We hope the community of persons with disabilities will celebrate the bill together with the governor’s five years or first year in his second term in office by 29th of May. That is our prayers. Other states are already enjoying separate developmental projects because they have disability bills. Gombe State cannot enjoy funding from development partners if we don’t have this law in place,” he stated.
