At 2024 Thanksgiving, Anambra JONAPWD Urges Govt, Stakeholders to Promote Inclusivity

Lawrence Nwimo, Awka

The Anambra State Chapter of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) has used its 2024 Thanksgiving ceremony to call on the state government and other stakeholders to promote inclusivity and accessibility for persons with disabilities.

The thanksgiving was held in Onitsha at the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity Onitsha, Anambra State. It brought together persons with disabilities and other stakeholders to give thanks to God and reflect on the challenges faced by the community.

In his address, Chairman of JONAPWD, Anambra State Chapter, Comrade Ugochukwu Okeke, emphasized the importance of inclusivity and accessibility in promoting the welfare of persons with disabilities. 

He noted that many public buildings, roads, and facilities in the state are not accessible to persons with disabilities, thereby excluding them from participating fully in societal activities.

Mr. Okeke urged the state government and other stakeholders including landlords, private business owners and the likes to take concrete steps to promote inclusivity and accessibility for persons with disabilities. 

He called for the construction of ramps and accessible toilets in public buildings, particularly churches, the provision of sign language interpreters in public events, and the creation of employment opportunities for PWDs.

The chairman also commended the state government for its employment of persons with disabilities into the teaching profession, but urged it to do more to address the accessibility challenges to facilitate on-the-job productivity of PWDS.

“Anambra has passed the Disability Rights Law. The church is a good platform for us to talk about the implementation because the provisions were made to better our lives and to enable us participate actively in leadership, community and religious worship.

“We thank God for the kind of Governor we have. He employed some of our members during the last teacher recruitment exercise in the state including the blind, visually impaired, people with albinism and even those with physical disabilities.

“We advocate that all offices, and other public structures be accessible to enable our members to deliver on their jobs. We do not want our inability to access structures hinder us from performing optimally both in government and private enterprises. 

“We urge landlords to allow members looking to rent an apartment or shop to add accessibility features if none exists to facilitate their movements. We also call on the public to ensure that town halls, hospitals, and schools are disability friendly to achieve a better society for all,” he said.

Responding, Rector of the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity Onitsha, Rev Fr Johnbosco Ezika, assured that the church is committed to promoting the welfare of persons with disabilities. He further called on worshippers to key into the drive to address the challenges faced by PWDs in the state.

www.odogwulog.com reports that the sensitization is a programme of the Rule of Law and Anti-corruption (RoLAC) supported by the European Union and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IIDEA) in Nigeria.