The Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) has expressed appreciation to the Enugu State Government over the distribution of palliatives to Persons with Disabilities in all the 17 Local Government Areas in the State.
Executive Director of CCD in a statement he signed said Ugwuanyi by this singular act, has shown that he is a listening Governor.
He described the gesture as a welcome development considering the economic hardship persons with disabilities in Enugu State are facing by reason of the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic.
He said the CCD recently conducted a survey in five States of the Federation, Enugu State inclusive to gain insight into the extent to which PWDs are benefitting from the distribution of the Covid-19 palliatives.
According to him, the survey was part of the activities for the implementation of CCD’s project on Strengthening Citizens Resistance to the Prevalence of Corruption (SCRAP-C).
He said the project is implemented in five States including Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Kaduna, Kano and Lagos State in partnership with Action Aid and funding from the United Kingdom Department for International Development (UK-DfID).
Listing some of the key findings from the survey in Enugu State, Anyaele said that PWDs in the State were aware that palliatives are being distributed to assuage the negative effects of the lockdown on the citizens.
Besides, the survey showed that handful of members of the disability community were invited to participate as beneficiaries of the palliatives that were distributed by the government at various level and several private sector stakeholders.
But there were complaints that the strategy for distribution of palliatives was poor but the process should be continued.
Part of the recommendations from the report, Anyaele said is the need to re-design the administrative component of the Covid-19 palliative support scheme with a view to effectively covering more PWDs as beneficiaries before they are compelled to adopt survival behaviours that are capable of undermining government efforts at controlling spread of the disease, which might be costlier.
He also encouraged members of the disability community. in specific the various Local Governments Area Chairmen to take appropriate measures to ensure no PWDs in their LGA is left behind in the distribution of the palliatives.
“CCD calls on organizations of persons with Disabilities (OPDs) to close ranks and work together to ensure successful distribution of the Palliatives as one good turn deserve another, appreciating that many persons with disabilities in the State are dying of hunger as a result of lack of access to food and income to take care of their needs
“To ensure Inclusion, participation and sustainability of this good gesture by the Enugu State Government, we are calling on the Enugu State Governor to collaborate with the State House of Assembly, to as matter of priority, activate measures for the adoption of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018,” Anyaele said.