Prince Uche Secondus, National Chairman, PDP and Mr Udo Ekpenyong, Chairman, PDP, Akwa Ibom State.
▪JONAPWD Akwa Ibom state seeks more inclusion
Abasifreke Effiong – Uyo
The Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities, JONAPWDs, in Akwa Ibom State has said that the Peoples Democratic Party is anti-persons with disabilities.
JONAPWD said in an era where global organisations were making strong commitments towards full inclusion of Persons With Disabilities, PWDs, the Peoples Democratic Party was still maintaining a discriminatory disposition towards PWDs in its structure and operations.
JONAPWD noted with regret that PDP in Akwa Ibom State has failed to give consideration to PWDs in the State who indicated interest to vie for councillorship in their different wards in the just concluded local government primaries of the party.
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The association said it had sent a letter to the chairman of PDP in Akwa Ibom State and the Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission, AKISIEC, seeking waivers on the cost of nomination and expression of interest forms ahead of the party primaries to allow PWDs contest the election but it was not given attention.
Addressing a press conference at Saint Vincent Centre for Inclusive Education, Uyo, to mark the 33 anniversary of the creation of Akwa Ibom State, JONAPWD in collaboration with Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent De Paul , Liliane Foundation Partners Organisations Uyo and Ukana Iba, called for more inclusion of PWDs in politics, governance and leadership in Akwa Ibom State.
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“Every community and organisation is working towards inclusion of Persons With Disabilities, but PDP has shown clearly that it is anti-PWDs. The PDP structure from the ward to the national executive does not give consideration to Persons With Disabilities the way the APC does. We have noted that no President elected on the platform of the PDP appointed a PWD as an aide.”
“We had thought that the PDP will borrow a leaf from what the APC has done, sadly the party has kept a disposition that portrays a strong resentment against PWDs. During the just concluded primaries of the PDP for the local government election in Akwa Ibom State, four of our members indicated interest to vie for councillorship, but they did afford the high cost of nomination forms, so JONAPWD wrote to the PDP appealing for waiver since the party has granted some concession to women who sought the election in the party; regrettably we were ignored.”
JONAPWD and her partner organisations said a large number of children with disabilities in Akwa Ibom were still out of school owing to lack of inclusive political leadership and education system in the State, called on Governor Udom Emmanuel to revive the disability scholarship programme in the state was initiated by Governor Victor Attah administration.
“More than one million PWDs are in Akwa Ibom State, leaving them behind would be developmentally counterproductive to the completion agenda of the State Government.”
The organisations called on the Akwa Ibom state government to work towards providing inclusive education for disabled children in the state in line with the fourth Sustainable Development Goal, emphasising that ignoring this special group would mean that the government is building a state where PWDs would flood the streets in the near future to beg for alms.
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The organisations noted with regret that persons with disabilities were not appointed into the Akwa Ibom State Tink Tank Committee on Education, a situation they said would continue to leave the education of the disabled persons in the hands of people who do not have first-hand information and experience about their peculiarities.
While thanking Governor Udom Emmanuel for his concerns for PWDs demonstrated in the regular celebration of the international white cane and safety day, provision of mobility and study aids to students and persons with disabilities, JONAPWD and partner organisations urged Governor Emmanuel to adopt the draft policy on inclusive education they submitted to the state government.
The organisations also called on the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly to make provision for the creation of disability commission in the Akwa Ibom State Disability Protection Bill which is currently receiving consideration by the House of Assembly.
