Date: 2016-12-16

Stakeholders have expressed their desire for a law to establish an agency to handle disabled affairs in Kwara state.

They gave this indication in Ilorin while speaking at a public hearing organized by the State House of Assembly on People with Disability Bill sponsored by a member representing Ilorin East Constituency, Hon. Aishat Ibrahim.

Most of the stakeholders in their submissions eulogized the State House of Assembly for its determination to ensure that the rights and dignity of persons with disability in the State are protected and promoted.

In her own submission, the State Commissioner for Women Affairs Hajia Ayinke Saka said the establishment of the agency in the state,would further ensure efficient and effective service delivery for the rehabilitation of people with disabilities, thereby making the state to run a system that recognises the valued contribution of this group towards an accelerated development of the state.

The Commissioner who enumerated the activities of her Ministry in promoting the well-being of people with disabilities in the State, however insisted that such office must be under the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development which she said already has a superb administrative structure and trained personnel for effective supervision and accountability.

Also in its submission, the State Chapter of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, who suggested among other things, said the office composition must be fully inclusive of each cluster of deaf, blind and physically challenged.

According to him, the office should be under the office of the Governor or Deputy to enhance its autonomy. The Association in a paper jointly signed by its Chairman and Secretary Yusuf Bashir and Anifowose Fatai advocated a 10% of basic salary disability allowance for all serving civil servants with disabilities in the state to further enhance their well-being.

Also speaking, the State Chapter of Muslim Deaf in Nigeria urged the State Government to recognised and promote sign language, establish communication device centre called "Video Relay Services" to address the communication challenge of the deaf and employment of sign language interpreters in the state. The Association whose paper was presented by Alhaji Suleiman Dago tagged the bill as promise kept with people with Disabilities, by the Speaker Dr Ali Ahmad praised the State House of Assembly for making all segment of the society the centre of its legislative activities.

Declaring the Public Hearing open, the Speaker Dr Ali Ahmad assured that the House which is the mouth piece of the people, would continue to enact laws and support policies aimed at alleviating the suffering of the citizenry.

The Speaker, represented by his Deputy, Elder Mathew Okedare then expressed confidence that the proposed bill would go along way in the quest to providing equal opportunity and preventing discrimination based on disability.

Earlier in his Speech, the Chairman House Committee on Information, Social Development, Tourism, Youth, Sports and Culture Hon. Saheed Popoola enumerated the benefits of the bill and assured that all views harvested in the public hearing, would be reflected in the bill to have a practicable and sustainable law for people with Disabilities for further integrate them and enhance their contribution to social development.