By 
A body under the aegis of Permanent Secretaries (PS) in the Abia State Public Service has lamented the plight of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in the state, urging support from various stakeholders.
At a workshop themed ‘Capacity Building for Permanent Secretaries on the Abia State Disability Law and Disability Inclusive Governance’ in Umuahia, they expressed empathy for the PWDs.
They admitted ignorance of the implications of their conditions, and vowed to use their offices to address them.
Southeastposts reports that the workshop, organised by the Abia State Disability Commission for the Welfare of Disabled Persons provided an opportunity for familarisation of the PS with the provisions of the Abia State Disability Law and Disability Inclusion, including the implementation of this law by the top public servants in the state.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power and Public Utilities, Mrs Nwanyieze Utum, noted that the workshop informed them on key issues of disability they were oblivious of.
She said, “Before this programme, we were not well-informed on the activities of PWDs; but being part of this workshop has exposed us to better understanding of their plight,” she said.
Utum stated that the PS, now equipped with the knowledge of the law and its provisions, is ready to address PWDs issues and include them in the activities of their ministries/departments.
Also speaking, Chairman of the organising commission, David Anyaele, who is also the Special Assistant to Governor Alex Otti on Disability Matters, said: “The objectives of the training is to enhance the ability of the PS to make informed, data-driven decisions that benefit the disability community, and build their capacity to develop, implement and monitor policies and programmes that benefit them.”
Anyaele recalled that a similar workshop had been organised for the state’s 17 council chairmen. He described permanent secretaries as key officials responsible for driving governance across board.
“We believe that if the permanent secretaries are involved in this process, it will go a long way in ensuring an inclusive Abia that is free from discrimination against the rights of PWDs.
“We are building the capacity of permanent secretaries to make it easier for them to generate policies that will support their ministries based on specific mandates. If awareness is created but the key drivers of government policies and programmes are not well guided and informed, they can’t act accordingly,” he said.
Comments