Inclusive Friends Association (IFA) in conjunction with Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), Hope Alive for Possibilities Initiative (HAPI) and Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), have appealed to the Benue government to pass the Disability Act into law in the state to enable PWDs enjoy their full rights.
The trio groups’ delegation led by Personal Assistant to the Governor on Disabilities, Ben Anshe, made the appeal when they presented a copy of the draft bill to the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and Public Order, Fidelis Mynim, in his Makurdi, the state capital.
In their separate speeches, Anshe who is also the chairman of JONAPWD, HAPI representative, Onah Adeyi stressed that if domesticated in Benue state, the Disability Act would give PWDs legal protection, grant them access to services, include them in development and show compliance with international obligations.
Anshe recommended on behalf of the three organizations saying: “we urge the Benue state Ministry of Justice to review and vet the draft Disability and the Commissioner of Justice as the chief legal officer of the state should advise the state government on the proposed law and recommend it passage.
“We call for active engagement with stakeholders, including government agencies, civil society organizations PWDs and the private sector, to solicit input and build consensus on the commendation process.
“We recommend capacity-building initiatives for relevant state agencies and personnel to enhance their understanding of disability rights and ensure effective implementation of domesticated legislation.
“We advocate for the establishment of mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating the implications of domesticated disability rights legislation, with a focus on accountability and impact assessment”.
He lamented they suffered a lot of negligence in the past administration to have the law domesticated and appealed to the current state government to favour them on the issue.
In his response, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and Public Order, Fidelis Mynim, assured that he “will push in the law through the State Executive Council to the state assembly” and follow it up until it’s domesticated.
He acknowledged that within the North Central, it was only Benue State that has not domesticated the law and promised to take it up “since government is a continuum”.
The commissioner who commended the organizations for presenting the draft bill also appreciated them for their patience.