Physically challenged urge Buhari to sign disability bill into law

The Executive Director, Centre for Citizens with Disabilities, CCD Mr. David Anyaele, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari and All Progressive Alliance, APC to fulfill their campaign promises and signed into law the disability bill.

Anyaele, a Liberia civil war victim whose two hands were amputated stated this in his office in Umuahia, disclosing that the Disability bill has been in the National Assembly since 2000.
While maintaining that PDP lost the vote of their members in the last general election because Of the inability of the party to work on the bill and signed it into law despite all promises made, he disclosed that the organization was happy when during the campaign, APC promised them that if voted into power, they will ensure that the bill is promptly addressed and passed into law for them to begin to enjoy all the accrued benefit.

Anyaele noted that the promise gladden the heart of their members who later voted en masse pointing out that two years down the line the bill is yet to be signed into law.
“The Disability bill has been in the House since 2000, it is true that the APC government has made a significant impact on the bill, we are told that the bill is at the harmonized stage at National Assembly, we are calling for the bill to be ready and signed into law else we would not vote for APC in 2019.

He described the condition of most disables in the country as pathetic and unacceptable, stating, “we are living in a society where people do not see us as equal, where people believe we must leave in perpetual charity and depend on others, we want all this to come to an end and that is why signing the bill into law is important to all disables”.

Anyaele maintained that United Nations Organization (UNO) convention is being adopted globally as a guide for promoting people with disability, adding that most often the descriptions ascribed to disables are wrong and they are not happy about it.

“We often hear such names as physically challenge persons, it is wrong because even the people who are not physically challenge like the blind, deaf and dump, those with mental issues, altruism are all part of disability so, the generally accepted name is People with Disabilities, this include both physical and mental cases”.

He further pointed that disables see the society as very unfriendly not accommodating and marginalizing them adding that churches are the worst.

“The marginalization of disables are worst in the churches, when religious narratives says people with disabilities are suffering became of their sins, disables see church as hostile and antagonizing to their plight and we are sad about it”.

He concluded by saying that CCD is a foremost right based organization aimed at promoting and projecting issues concerning disables and have also been partnering with organizations both here in Nigeria and abroad who have helped in empowering disables in the areas of provisions of wheel chairs among others.