Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
Anambra State Disability Rights Commission (ASDRC) has made known its resolution to appoint Commission Liaison Officers (CLOs) in the 179 communities that make up the state.
The decision was taken at the quarterly meeting of the commission members on Tuesday.
Chairman of the commission, Barr. Chuks Ezewuzie, while briefing journalists in Awka Thursday, stated that the decision is one of the two actionable plans adopted to expand its services beyond the urban centres and accommodate every person with disability in the state.
According to him, “the resolution was to appoint the officers in 179 communities of the 21 local government areas of the state.”
Ezewuzie said such appointment, which also would be carried out at ward level, was to extend its services to local governments, communities, villages and even kindreds.
“The commission met on Tuesday and adopted two important actionable plans to bring the governor’s vision to the grassroots.
“The first one is to ensure that every local government, community, political ward, town or place will have a representative of Anambra State disability rights commission in order to bring the disability services in every local area so that people do not think that everything we do is only in Awka. We are and we want to be in every village, locality and kindred.
“Our plan is that in every village, we seek out the leaders there and have them compile a list of persons with disabilities in their kindred and submit such to our representative in the community who will in turn, take it to the local government for further release to the state disability commission.”
He continued, “Our intention is to take the services beyond the urban centres. We want to be sure that every Senatorial zone has the presence of the commission. We will work with the transition committee chairmen of all the 21 local government areas, the monarchs, and the president generals to achieve the goal.
“In all the communities, we will name a disabilities services centre where disability issues would be handled. Every town union executive will have a representative of the disability rights commission who hails from the town and who would help step down our services there,” Ezewuzie said.
Speaking further, the ASDRC boss said the commission would conduct a periodic tour of communities to identify children with disabilities, organise and send them to school as obtained in the past. He also said the commission would as well prepare them to benefit from the state government’s intervention programmes.
Ezewuzie said establishment of access market pavilion, cooperative societies, credit facilities, trade fairs, among others are channels the commission has mapped out to pull persons with disabilities out of poverty.
He said the Commission has also resolved to set-up Persons With Disabilities Fund as stipulated by section 16 of the Anambra State Disability Rights Law 2018.
According to him, Christian Association of Nigeria’s (CAN) representative in the Commission, Bishop Moses Ezedebeago, would chair the fundraising committee to actualise the plan.
Ezewuzie re-emphasized that the commission is not an NGO, but an arm of government designed to serve persons with disabilities. He also said that the commission is looking forward to attracting international donors from partners to support what government is doing.
He added that the commission is poised now and more than ever to ensure that PWDs in Anambra State, as Anambra is the light of the nation, will not only show the way but also go the way.
