As part of continuous advocacy for the domestication of disability legislation in Edo State, the Association of Lawyers with Disabilities in Nigeria (ALDIN) has called on the state government to “enact an Edo-Specific disability law, as a matter of urgency”.
The association, which made the call during a press conference on Tuesday in Benin City urged the government to emulate other states that have since enacted the law.
The call is coming 72-hours to commemoration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) observed every December 3rd.
“Plateau, Lagos, Kano, Adamawa, Ekiti, Anambra, and others, have since enacted disability laws. Many more other states have disability bills pending at their respective House of Assembly. Amidst these positive developments, Edo State cannot afford to be sitting on the fence and watch the world move on”, President of ALDIN, Daniel Onwe, Esq stated
Onwe maintained that it is a mark of civilization for any society to be accessible and friendly with people living with disabilities, hence any state that is not complying with the global trend would be portraying herself as uncivilized.
According to him, there is a paradigm shift on a global scale which Nigeria is not left out, and Edo State should not be left out either as societies are fast adjusting to create equal opportunities for special persons.
“The language of the world today is inclusion of persons with disabilities. And any state that is not speaking that language would not be taken seriously by the world. Such states will find it more harder to attract foreign investment, and consequently lag behind in development.
“Again, when we make our state inclusive, we are creating the enabling environment for everybody to be maximally productive and optimally contribute to both the state and national development. And everybody (not just persons with disabilities) will benefit”, the ALDIN President further stated
He however expressed optimism that the state government will send a new Bill to the house of assembly, following the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice’s, Oluwole Iyamu assurance of “good news soon, regarding the enactment of the disability law.”
This year 2021 theme; is “Leadership and participation of persons with disabilities toward an inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-COVID-19 world.”.