The Managing Director, Anambra Broadcasting Service, ABS, Awka, Sir Chido Obidiegwu has called on government to implement the Disability Act of Nigeria 2018 in order to protect the rights of persons living with disabilities.
Sir Chido made the call at the Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni Association of Nigeria, MWFAAN, summit held at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka.
The event, which has “Beating all Odds”as it theme, attracted people living with disabilities, students, experts, professionals and role models in different life endeavours.
Mandela Washington Fellowship, is a flagship programme of the United States Government’s Young African Leaders Initiative, YALI, which has brought over five thousand young leaders from countries in Sub Saharan Africa to the US for academic and leadership trainings.
In his paper titled “Persons living with disabilities, beating all odds in a challenging society”, Sir Chido, pointed out how countries like the US, and many in Europe, follow their disability laws religiously which he regretted is a far cry from what persons living with disabilities are facing in Nigeria.
He identified the challenges people living with disabilities are facing in Nigerian society and stressed the need for government to enforce disability laws that are already in existence, pointing out that these laws are useless if not enforced.
Sir Chido also advised people living with disabilities to shun self-pity, turn their misfortune to fortune and apply God-factor where their human strength ends.
In an interview, the Coordinator of MWFAAN in Nigeria, Ms. Nkechi Udegboka, while describing the summit as South East maiden edition, emphasized the need for everyone to abide by the disability laws, and urged government to also endeavour to empower the disabled people even as she advised people with disabilities to invest in self-development.
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