David Arin, Jos
DAILY COURIER – The approval by the Benue State Executive Council for the domestication of the Disability Act (2024), to give disabled persons equal rights and privileges has received applause from residents of the state.
The proposed Act, which will be forwarded to the Benue State House of Assembly for scrutiny, will include members in the scheme of things when passed into law.
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sir Tersoo Kula, who conveyed the exco decision to newsmen in Makurdi on Monday, said the Act will equally prescribe punishment for anyone who will discriminate against people with disability in the state.
Reacting to the development, the Special Assistant to the Governor on disability matters, Hon. Bem Anshe, commended Alia for approving the domestication of the Disability Act in the state.
He said in a telephone that what Governor Alia has done started with past administrations, the voice of the disability community in the state would have been fully represented in decisions and policy implementation.
While pledging the unalloyed support of persons with disabilities to the Alia-led administration to enable him to succeed in delivering good governance to the common man, he applauded the governor for taking into cognisance the plight of persons with special needs who were neglected by past administrations.
According to Hon. Anshe, with this development, the governor has already written his name in Gold.
In his reaction, a Journalist, Comrade John Shiaondo of Blueprint newspaper, said that domestication of the Act in Benue State was long overdue, saying other states of the federation have since passed it into law.
He hailed Governor Alia’s administration for the bold move towards uplifting the lives of people with some needs, expressing the hope that the State House of Assembly will do the needful when such an executive bill will be placed before them at an appropriate time.
DAILY COURIER recalls that the Inclusive Friends Association (IFA), under the leadership of Miss Grace Jerry, has been leading advocacy to the state to press for the passage of the Act in the state.
In the recent outing, he told the Secretary to the Benue State Government (SSG), Mrs Deborah Aber, and the Director General of Benue State Budget and Economic Planning Commission, Prof. Jerome Andohol, where they all pledged their support and cooperation to push for the passage of the Act into law.
