PLWD Tasks Govt On Implementation Of Policies On Disabilities

…Family Celebrates Valentine With Disabled

 While the family of Ambas­sador Chukwuzubelu Ike­chukwu-Umeizudike, in col­laboration with Kelly Egbere, popularly known as Kellyblind of Wazobia FM, undertook to celebrate the Valentine Day in a very special way with Peo­ple Living With Disabilities (PLWD), the celebrants have used the opportunity to call on the government to go beyond enactment of policies to its im­plementation.

According to members of the community of PLWD, who were picked across various ar­eas in Lagos by the conveners of the event, since the enactment of the Disabilities Bill in 2019 by the previous administration, there has not been any effort by the APC-led government to bring about implementation of the bill.

Ikechukwu-Umeizudike, who was ably represented by his wife, Queen Fatima, noted that sharing love with the dis­abled in ways that positively affects their lives is the true definition of Valentine.

“Today is Valentine’s Day and I always feel like sharing love with my disabled brothers and sisters who I feel need more love, care and support.

“I have always done this and I will keep on doing it every day of my life until whenever. It is not just a seasonal event. It is where my passion lies. It isn’t just with PLWD.

“I pay school fees for chil­dren through my foundation. I also connect through charitable deeds to the elderly and the wid­ows/widowers.”

Ikechukwu-Umeizudike used the opportunity to plead with Nigerians to tow the path of charity towards the disabled as a good number of them out there are lonely and homeless.

Kellyblind on his part dis­closed that in this part of the world, PLWD do not feel the impact of the government. He used the opportunity to take a swipe at the All Progressive Congress (APC) government, who he said has been neglecting the disabled people ever since their inauguration.

“I will tell you that in this part of the world, governments are zero to PLWD, especially the APC-led government. Since this current administration came upstream, PLWD have not been carried along and has not bene­fited anything from them, from the federal to the states. I am a living witness to that. We have over 200 men and women here living with disabilities, they will tell you the same thing.

“We got some good support from the Goodluck Jonathan administration, but since the APC government came into power in 2015 till date, there has not been any major project for PLWD.“

He pleaded that the govern­ment look into the plights of PLWD as they were suffering despite the fact that a lot of them are graduates who go to school to obtain degrees like every other person. Yet they can neither be employed nor empowered.

“Even when former pres­ident Muhammad Buhari signed the Disability Bill into law in 2019, up till date, the law has not been effected.”