Magnus Aluma
The Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities (JONAPWD) in Ebonyi State has appealed to the state governor, Francis Nwifuru to intervene in the plot by the state Ministry of Health to evict the association from its office in Abakaliki, the state capital.
Chairman of the association in the state, Comrade Christian Nwovu told reporters on Wednesday that the office was allocated
to the association by the previous administration, and had served as the operational base for the them for more than 10 years.
He alleged that after the Ministry of Health served them quit notice, the Association sought the assistance of the Chief of Staff to the Governor over the issue, and was advised by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry to submit a formal letter for the governor’s consideration.
The chairman said the members became confused the day some labourers suddenly arrived at the premises to begin renovation work for a proposed blood bank.
Nwovu said: “we were surprised that not long after we met with the Chief of Staff, workers arrived to start painting, but our members stopped the work.
“We made it clear to them that we were not opposed to the blood bank project, only that government should first provide us with a suitable and accessible alternative office before asking us to vacate the building.
Nwovu listed the challenges of his members in the state, including lack of subvention from the state government and delay in signing into law the state government’s Disability Bill.
He urged Governor Nwifuru to prioritize the welfare of persons with disabilities in the state.
The founder and pioneer President of the Nigerian Physically Challenged People’s Assembly, Mr. Joseph Nwaeze, a lawyer, recalled that the group had occupied the facility since the administration of former Governor Martin Elechi.
“It was the administration of former governor Martin Elechi that gave us the facility and we have since then maintained it as our office.
“So, what we are saying is that a new site should be allocated for the proposed blood bank instead of displacing the association,” Nwaeze said.
The former Treasurer of the Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities (JONAPWD), Mrs. Ngozi Nwanni Michael observed that the office is the only accessible venue where members from the 13 local government areas meet regularly, pointing out that the wife of the governor, Mrs. Maudline Nwifuru, had visited the association there.
In a reaction, the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Moses Ekuma denied claims that the government was rejecting or maltreating persons with disabilities in the state.
The Commissioner noted that the property was never officially allocated to JONAPWD by any administration, insisting that it remained part of the state Ministry of Health.
He explained that the government planned to establish a blood bank at the facility in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health to strengthen emergency healthcare and reduce maternal deaths caused by excessive bleeding after childbirth.
Ekuma also said the state government has already resolved to provide JONAPWD with another office.
He added that persons with disabilities remained an important part of the programmes of the Nwifuru administration, promising that the association would continue to receive government support.
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