The newly elected Chairman of the National Forum of State Chairmen of Joint National Association of People Living With Disabilities (JONAPWD), Mr Kie Obomanu, has called for the enforcement of the fundamental rights of people living with disabilities across the country.
Obomanu said this in his acceptance speech shortly after winning the election of the association which took place after the closing ceremony of the 3rd Anniversary of National Disability Rights Act in Abuja, last Wednesday.
He said, “I thank the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) and their partner, Ford Foundation, for hosting leaders of Persons with Disabilities (PWD) drawn from all the clusters and from all the geopolitical zones of the country, to brainstorm on 2023 general election and the future of Nigerians With Disabilities.
“PWDs have the fundamental rights to vote and be voted for during the forthcoming general election in the country. With the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) blazing the trail in advocating and mainstreaming on issues of Persons With Disability, a lot will be achieved in the advancement of the cause of PWDs and in the implementation of the National Disability Rights Act 2018,” Obomanu said.
He commended the efforts of CCD in the quest for the actualisation of the inclusion of PWDs in the process of governance in Nigeria.
While congratulating Obomanu and JONAPWD state chairmen for the peaceful election, the Executive Director of CCD, Mr David Anyaele, applauded the election of Obomanu, who he noted was a very fearless and irrepressible leader, bound to record a lot of achievements for the forum and the entire disability community.
“The election of Kie Obomanu, who is a broadcaster, journalist and disability rights advocate signals the beginning of the cohesion and unity of purpose amongst the chairmen to form a formidable group in the quest for the realisation of laudable objectives garnered towards launching JONAPWD into a new sphere of achievements at the state level.
“The need for synergy between the Chairman of the National Forum of State Chairmen of JONAPWD, Kie Obomanu, and the President of JONAPWD, Abdullahi Aliyu, to accelerate the development of the association, and for the overall transformation of the entire community of PWDs cannot be over emphasized”, Anyaele said.
While calling on stakeholders to continue to push until all state governments in the country domesticate the Disability Bill Law, and expedite action on its implementation, Anyaele reassured the commitment of CCD to continue to support JONAPWD at the national and state levels to ensure the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities.
Earlier at the event, the President of JONAPWD, Mr. Abdullahi Usman, had stated that JONAPWD was proud of efforts made by CCD in promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities in Nigeria.
He affirmed that JONAPWD would consistently collaborate with CCD in future engagement that pertains to issues of inclusion and PWDs.
“I want to on behalf of the disability community of Nigeria thank and appreciate David Anyaele for this wonderful gathering, what is in the agenda, we know that if we are able to listen carefully to the lecture that are going to be delivered to us, it will be very important for all PWDs in Nigeria.
“I want to urge the other organisations of persons with disabilities to copy what CCD is doing by gathering all PWDs in Nigeria because it covers all the states in the country so that they understand more, when we go back we step down to our community to have more knowledge on what they are suppose do”, Usman stated.
In attendance was the President of JONAPWD, Mr. Abdullahi Usman and state chairmen of JONAPWD cut across the six geo-political zones of the country.
The election of Obomanu, who is also the chairman of JONAPWD, Rivers State Chapter is one of the positive outcomes of the celebration of the third Anniversary of the passage of the Nigerian Disability Rights Act 2018 organised by the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) with support from Ford Foundation.
