As part of efforts to deepen its services to Persons Living With Disabilities across the nooks and crannies of the State, the Anambra Disability Rights Commission, on Thursday announced the appointment of its Liaison Officers at the Local Government, Community, and Ward levels.
The Chairman of the Commission, Barr Chuks Ezewuzie, who disclosed at a press conference in his office in Awka, said the decision was reached at the quarterly meeting of the Commission’s members on Tuesday.
The Commission, which was established by the Executive Governor of Anambra State per Section 3 of the State Disability Rights Law 2018, serves as a one-stop-shop for all Disability services and related matters in the State.
Briefing journalists, Ezewuzie said the Commission members met, deliberated on a wide range of disability issues, and adopted important actionable plans that will help in expanding and intensifying efforts to bring the Solution Vision of Governor Chukwuma Soludo to persons with Disabilities in the 326 political wards of Anambra State.
According to him, part of the plans was to elicit the support and cooperation of all stakeholders and players in the affairs of the disability community, in ensuring that lives are made more meaningful for Persons With Disabilities.
“It doesn’t matter what anyone is doing anywhere. All we are interested in is for anyone doing anything elsewhere, to collaborate and cooperate with the commission to bring the solution vision to the grassroots.
“To this end, the Commission has approved the appointment of commission liaison officers (CLOs) in the 21 Local Government Areas, the 179 Communities, and the 326 Wards.
“What we want to do is to have a Disabilities Services Centre with a representative of the Commission in all Wards. These people will compile a list of the PWDs in the wards and their issues and hand them over to the Commission’s representative in the community, who will then hand it over to the Local Government CLOs, who will in turn bring it to the Commission.
“We are leveraging the existing structure of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, JONAPWD to make the process seamless.
“It is expected that the PWDs in all communities will organize themselves and get to the Commission before it gets to them. The priority will be according to how organized they are.
“The Commission will also maintain collaboration and regular communication with the Transition Committee Chairmen, the Traditional Rulers, Presidents-General, Religious Leaders, and Town Union Executives to achieve this lofty goal,” Ezewuzie posited.
He also said the Commission is initiating programmes aimed at pulling persons with disabilities out of poverty through the establishment of Access Market Pavilion (AMP), a cooperative society, credit facilities for Entrepreneurs with disabilities, a trade fair for Merchants and skilled persons with disabilities, one youth two skills enrollment for youths with disabilities, and agricultural support for rural farmers with Disabilities.
The Anambra Disability Rights Commission boss said the Commission has also resolved to set up the ‘Persons Living With Disabilities Fund’ as stipulated by Section 16 of the Anambra State Disability Rights Law 2018.
“Bishop Moses Ezedebeago, a member of the Commission, was appointed the Chairman of the fundraising committee to actualize this plan.
“We are looking forward to attracting donations from international partners to fund initiatives through this Fund since the government cannot do it all.
“However, we believe that the government must make a valuable commitment towards bringing the services of government to persons with disabilities under this initiative, as well as to give the commission credibility when we reach out to international donors,” he said.
Ezewuzie expressed appreciation to some partners of the Commission, who have made invaluable contributions towards the welfare of persons with disabilities.
“The Commission is grateful to Dr Lady Pat. Okeke, a member of the Commission and the wife of Chief G.U Okeke, who built and donated two classroom and hostel blocks to Central School (Special School for the Deaf) Odoakpu Onitsha. That’s another way of showing that they are not waiting for the government alone to do it all.
“For two years in a row, the staff and volunteers of the Commission have benefited from the Mandela Washington Fellowship for young African leaders. Miss Vivain Ezeonwumelu and Chidimma Ajemba the Commission’s public relations officer (PRO) and the head of Media have traveled to the United States of America on a six-week leadership program of this fellowship under the sponsorship of the US Government.
“The Commission expresses immense gratitude to RoLAC (Rule of Law, and Anti-Corruption program), for sponsoring accessibility audit research of Ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) in Anambra state, the result of which is now yielding fruit and bringing solution to accessibility needs of persons with disabilities in the State.
“The Commission especially thanks Governor Soludo for the approval of memos to furnish and equip the commission with state-of-the art equipment after creating an independent budget line for the Commission.”
