A Non-Governmental Organisation, known as Inclusive ‘Friends Association’ (IFA), has called for the domestication of the Disability Act in Benue State.
National Disability Bill was passed in 2018 and signed into law by the former President, Muhammadu Buhari on January 23, 2019.
Five states from the North Central geo-political zone were reported to have domesticated the Disability Law with Benue lagging.
The Executive Director of Inclusive Friends Association, IFA, Grace Jerry made the call in Makurdi, the Benue state capital on Monday during the Media Advocacy Workshop on the Domestication of the Disability Act in the state.
The advocacy workshop which was organized by Inclusive Friends Association was sponsored by National Endowment for Democracy.
According to the Executive Director of IFA, Grace Jerry, “In the entire North Central Nigeria, only Benue State is yet to pass the disability bill.
“Benue State Draft Disability Bill was originally drafted by Disability Rights Advocacy Center (DRAC) in 2023. Reviewed by Hope Alive for Possibilities Initiative (HAPI) in collaboration with the Inclusive Friends Association (IFA) and the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) Benue State chapter in March 2024.
Jerry, who also facilitated a session on “Understanding Disabilities” with a focus on the importance of disability-inclusive reporting, dwelled on the rights-based models for persons with disabilities and the use of the right terminologies when writing stories on persons with disabilities in media coverage.
She emphasized that Inclusive language matters, saying, “It shapes perceptions and promotes dignity. We must move away from derogatory and stigmatising terms and embrace respectful, person-first language that truly reflects the rights and humanity of persons with disabilities.”
Earlier, in a keynote address, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Hyacinth Alia on People with Special Needs, Mr Bem Anshe, who doubles as the State chairman of Joint National Association of Persons With Disability (JONAPWD) said the bill was passed in 2018 and assented to by the then president, Muhammadu Buhari, in 2019.
He lamented that Benue State remains the only state in North Central geopolitical zone yet to domesticate the act.
Anshe who explained steps already taken to ensure that the disability draft was presented to the state government expressed hope that it will be domesticated in the state as soon as the executive arms dot the I and cross the ts
He however called for more efforts to be sustained by all and sundry until the bill was presented to the house, passed, and assented into law by the governor.
“We have a review of this law which was drafted in the past administration and on the 16th of April this year, we handed over the draft bill to the Honourable Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and Public Order in Benue State.
“It will interest you to know that as we speak, the draft bill is already with the executive, the Exco of Benue State led by His Excellency Rev. Fr. Dr Hyacinth Iormem Alia. That was presented to the Exco on the 3rd of July, this year.
“We are now counting our fingers to know when that bill will be sent to Assembly for legislative purposes. So, it is not over yet until we have that draft bill in the Assembly. Even in the Assembly, it is not over yet until the legislative process is completed and that is not over yet until it is passed and even when it is passed, it is not over yet until it is assented to by His Excellency Rev. Fr Dr Hyacinth Iormem Alia. That is only when it can become a law in Benue that we can beat our chest to say that we have legal backing in Benue.
In his presentation, Jide Ojo, a Media Consultant and Board Member of IFA in the paper, “Crafting Effective Media Messages for Disability Advocacy” and “Leveraging Digital and Social Media for Advocacy,” harped on the need for media executives to be empowered with practical tools to create compelling and impactful messages.
He said such messages should be geared to resonate with their audiences while harnessing deeper, the power of their digital platforms in advancing disability rights in Benue.
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