By Sunday John
Lafia The Nasarawa State Government will soon establish a Disability Rights Commission to protect the rights of people living with disabilities, Prof. Jonathan Ayuba, Commissioner, Special Education, Science and Technology, has said.
Ayuba told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lafia that a bill to that effect had been drafted and submitted to the House of Assembly.
“Governor Tanko Al-makura directed my ministry to draft an Executive Bill and submit same to law makers for other legislative processes; we have done that already,” Ayuba said.
He said that the bill, if passed into law, would define and protect the rights and privileges of people that were physically challenged.
“Once we have a law guiding how such persons will be provided for, their lives will be better,” he said.
He said that the law would regulate, guide and serve as a template for improving the quality of life of people living with disability and remove impediments on their paths.
The commissioner said that government, through the ministry, had developed a ‘comprehensive and inclusive education policy’ for person living with disability, urging them to take advantage of it to acquire education and vocational skills.
He explained that the policy, which had inputs from all stakeholders, would guide government’s efforts toward a better life for physically challenged persons.
“We want everyone to make maximum use of his or her talent; a physical deformity should not be an impediment to achieving dreams,” he said.