Disabled Persons Protest Lack Of Empowerment

Barely a week after the Delta State Government set aside five percent of vacancies in recruitment exercise for disabled persons, a group under the aegis of Delta State Physically Challenged in Oil and Gas Producing Communities has protested over lack of empowerment from the government.

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, as part of his administration’s commitment to the welfare of persons in that category has at the 2009 International Day of Persons with Disabilities in Asaba announced that the Delta State Government has reserved five percent of vacancies in any recruitment exercise into the state’s public service for qualified disabled persons.

The people from Warri, numbering more than 60 had in anger the previous day, gone to the entrance gate of the State Government House, along Anwai Road , asking to see the State governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan to lay their complaints to him , but they were refused entry, and at the State House of Assembly, the protesters blocked the gate , preventing vehicles from either going in or coming out of the complex. At a point, while many of them were trying to cross the road to gather at the Assembly gate, they caused an obstruction which affected other road users.

According to their leader and Spokesman , Mr. Daniel Ogor, “We were stranded.

We came to the government House at 1.00pm yesterday . We waited and had to stay their in front of the government house gate till this morning when we decided to come(here) to the State House of Assembly in a peaceful protest to let the lawmakers know our problem.”

Asked what their problems are, Mr. Ogor who said they came from Warri area of the State, said,” we need empowerment from the government , our hospital bills which government promised to pay, have not been paid for long, as a result, we are no longer receiving treatment at Rafa Specialist Hospital, Warri .

According to the group, “we had written series of proposals for the government to engage us in Skills Acquisition , but nothing has been done to that effect.

The Spokesman further said that the government has denied them their monthly allowances for some time , a reason for which they were protesting also.

To crown their requests, the disabled people also slammed the government for not listening to their request , that the Special Assistant to the Governor on the Physically Challenged, should be a physically challenged person, one of their own.

They decried a situation where the position is given to an able bodied person who does not know and feel the pains of physical disability, as is the case presently.

While the people are yet to have the above requests granted, they are also asking that government should also do something good for them to enable them celebrate the Christmas happily with their families.” We want them to make sure that they give us something for us to celebrate Christmas with our families. Let government celebrate our Christmas by giving us things to make our families enjoy with us”

To assuage the anger of the group, a lawmaker, Honourable Victor Ochei spoke to them imploring them to take it easy as government will address their problems and asked them to come back, Thursday this week.

On his part, Chairman of the House Committee on Information and Publicity, Honourable Abel Oshevire said that they physically challenged have every right like any of us as contained in the Constitution , stressing that it is unfortunate they are in that condition, , . He however advised them to channel their grievances to the appropriate quarters ,”and I believe that the government would address their issues accordingly.” The House during its sitting , amongst other things, screened and confirmed members of the local government pensions board.

Meanwhile, during the 2009 International Day of Persons with Disabilities held last week in Asaba, the governor represented by his deputy, Professor Amos Utuama (SAN), explained that “Since the inception of this administration, concerted efforts have been made to improve the living condition of persons with disabilities in the state though several programmes.