The Nation Newspaper

Tag: persons

  • FCTA opens up to persons with disability

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration, (FCTA) is working to introduce regulations that would ensure that every public building plan provide for people with disability before their approval.

    FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello made this disclosure when he received a delegation from the Kpakpando Foundation that paid him a courtesy visit in his office at Garki 1 District Abuja.

    The Minister revealed that the FCT Administration also intends to seek ways to amend existing building structures to make them navigable by the physically challenged and other vulnerable citizens, pointing out that a modification of the building housing the Minister’s office was carried out last year to provide for a ramp and conference room on the ground floor for meetings with the persons with disability.

    Bello also revealed that plans are ongoing to create informal markets in the Federal Capital city where persons with disability, less privileged people and other interested residents could own stalls, while expressing his determination to provide economic opportunities for the vulnerable members of the FCT society.

    He said, “I can easily identify with the plight of the physically challenged, having had a sister that was afflicted with polio and am conversant with their difficulties.

    “As Nigerians, we feel very proud that your foundation has been recognised and invited the FCTA to be part of the celebration of the United Nations 10th Anniversary on Persons with Disability and we appreciate your agreeing to take somebody from among our physically challenged brothers and sisters here; I assure you that the person’s trip will be funded by the FCT Administration.”

    Earlier in his address, the Chairman of Kpakpando Foundation, Senator Osita Izunaso, said that the leadership of the foundation was in the FCTA to explore areas of collaboration towards the establishment of a database for persons with disability in the Federal Capital Territory, as well as ensure that all public buildings provide access for the physically challenged.

    The APC chieftain disclosed that part of their plan is also to partner with the Administration in the area of setting up schools for persons with disability in the Federal Capital Territory.

    He said: “We are here today to also inform you that we want to establish a very strong presence in the Federal Capital Territory and we have also been invited by the United Nations to attend the 10th year United Nations Convention on Persons with disability holding in June.

    In his presentation at the occasion, a visually impaired member of the entourage, Mr. Danjuma Attah, who became blind at the age of 13, commended the FCT Minister for his concern for the vulnerable, disclosing how the Minister changed his fortunes by signing his license as a tour operator for the Umrah and Hajj, at the time he (the Minister) served as the Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).

    Mr. Attah sought for the support of the FCT Administration through the provision of a plot of land for the construction of a special centre for the blind. The centre, Mr. Attah revealed, would be equipped with fitness and medical facilities suitable for the blind and the visually impaired.

  • NDE begins online registration of unemployed persons

    NDE begins online registration of unemployed persons

    The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has begun the online registration of unemployed persons.

    The purpose of the exercise is to develop a database of unemployed persons and provide scientific evidence on the character, nature and trends of unemployment.

    NDE Acting Director-General, Kunle Obayan,  represented by the Deputy Director, Information and Public Relations,Edmund Onwuliri, said in Abuja that the exercise was part of the directorate’s mandate of designing skill sets to suit various types of unemployed persons.

    He said the framework for the online registration, handled by the directorate, has been completed and ready for launch.

    “The online portal, which went live last week, is designed to capture the relevant details of every unemployed person. It will equally serve as a job exchange portal that will link job seekers and employers, he said.”

    He said there was a practical demonstration of the workings of the portal at the NDE stand at the  28th edition of the Enugu International Trade Fair, adding that the portal could be accessed on: www.jobsforall.ng.

    Onwuliri explained that the directorate saw the initiative as a bold step towards deepening the effectiveness of its employment creation strategies and critical input into the process of designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating programmes and schemes adding that the online portal would serve as meeting point for job seekers and employers, thereby reducing the cumbersome process of recruitment among employers of skilled labour in the private and public sectors.

    In a related development, the Obayan said the NDE has, over a period of one year, trained 15,343 persons in vocational, agricultural and entrepreneurial skills.

    Speaking  at the  NDE special day  of the Enugu International Trade Fair, Obayan said: “We have reasons to rejoice in the strength of our four core programmes, namely: Vocational Skills Development (VSD), Small Scale Enterprises (SSE), Rural Employment Promotion (REP) and Special Public Works (SPW) Programmes.”

    He said the faithful implementation of the directorate‘s employment creation programmes had, to a reasonable extent, reduced the level of despair and disillusionment associated with unemployment in Nigeria.

    “The realities of economic recession and evidences of breakthroughs emanating from self-employment initiatives have reinforced our belief in the efficacy of skills acquisition training, which globally, has demystified the seemingly intractable challenges of unemployment and poverty,’’ he said.

    To further deepen the effectiveness of its employment creation strategies, according to Obayan, the NDE after completing the framework for the online registration of unemployed persons in Nigeria had commenced the actual registration of the unemployed nationwide.

    “I am glad to announce that a work-station is functional at the NDE stand at this fair from where any unemployed person can register. Other Nigerians can avail themselves of this service by logging on to www.jobsforall.ng.

    Obayan said the NDE considered this as a very critical input into its process of designing, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all programmes and schemes.

    “Unemployed Nigerians are expected to register on the portal, which has the capacity to serve a job exchange linking employers and job seekers having fully been hosted,” he said.

  • 25 persons arrested for extortion, selling UTME registration materials

    25 persons arrested for extortion, selling UTME registration materials

    Twenty-five persons have been arrested across the country for illegally selling registration materials for the 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidates.

    Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) RegistrarProf. Is-haq Oloyede said this at weekend.

    The culprits were apprehended by a combined team of JAMB’s Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU), the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Police, following a tip-off.

    Among the registration materials being sold by them included copies of the UTME e-Brochure and e-Syllabus.

    The agency said the e-Brochure and e-Syllabus, which were meant to be free, were being sold by the culprits as high as N800 each nationwide, while at the same time also extorting money and inflating cost of registration from candidates.

    Oloyede, in an interview with reporters in his office in Abuja, said the people that were caught are those “doing what they are not supposed to do”.

    He said: “Our quality assurance unit, particularly the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit had to go out to see what is happening, following reports of extortion. We were having reports that candidates are paying more than the N5,500 that is required. The perpetrators have been cautioned and are presently under surveillance.

    “For many of them that have been caught, I don’t think they will want to be caught for the second time in the future after serving the severe punishments awaiting them.

    “We keep on telling people that they are to pay just N5,500, which is N5,000 to JAMB and N500 for the book (e-Brochure and e-Syllabus) and that is all. But for the centre where they register, the owner of the centres will get a maximum of N700. We have arrested about 25 persons, all over the country. They are those who are doing what they are not supposed to do, by charging the candidates higher than expected. They will not escape justice, they will appear in court.”

    According to him, JAMB has not asked anybody to pay extra money or asked anybody to go to any business centre for the creation of profile.

    The JAMB registrar said the banks and Computer-Based Test centres had reached an agreement with JAMB that they would create the profile for the candidates.

    He said: “And whether you go to the banks, NIPOST or anywhere to buy the pin, it is part of their responsibility to create the profile for the candidates. Nobody is expected to pay more than what we have specified. But what we have found out is that many people are gullible. What we have done is that the ACTU had gone out and raided the centres. We found out that many of the centres are playing on the ignorance of the candidates. We have advertised in 10 national newspapers, yet they still allow themselves to be extorted.”

    Oloyede faulted claims by many of the candidates, who have the impression that it would be better for them to register only in JAMB-owned centres.

    “It is not true. Whether you register at the JAMB centres or in any accredited centres, there is no difference.

    “People are saying that there is poor connectivity. I don’t know what they mean by that. May be, they are using old terms. Many of the business centres, who want us to return to the old practice or those who are producing the scratch cards and want to continue extorting money from people are the ones echoing this noise and creating unnecessary problem for the candidates,” he said.

  • Finally, succour for persons living with disabilities

    SIR: Despite the cliché – ‘there is ability in disability’, there are innumerable cultural, political, economic and social barriers that have served to deter full participation of persons with mental or physical disabilities in various gatherings be it in academic circle, sports, arts, business, politics, social events and even religious gatherings, thereby hindering their well-being.

    While some are born with physical and mental disabilities, some end up as casualties of a sudden, yet are equally accorded second-class status in our polity. Succinctly, the doctrine of human frailty should make all appreciate that today one may be fit, yet not have the same luxury of agility tomorrow. This buttresses the need to show utmost concern to the needs of the physically and mentally challenged in our society by providing the enabling environment for them to realize their full potentials in all spheres of human endeavour and closing the structural nature of the prevalent gap.

    It has been recognized that domestic legislations remain one of the most effective means of facilitating social change and improving the status of disabled persons. Thus the Senate passed the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Bill 2016. There are numerous laudable provisions of the Bill including but not limited to: protection against discrimination of PLWD, easy access to public premises/road/sidewalk, prohibition of use of persons with disabilities to solicit for alms, free education, free healthcare, right to work and employment, right to participation in politics, a National Commission to address complaints of harassment, discrimination and harmful practices amongst others.

    Remarkably, Lagos State is at the fore-front of recognizing that there is ability in disability and has a Special People’s Law of 2011 to give PLWD a sense of belonging and had only recently launched a Disability Trust Fund. Happily, in Lagos State, upon registration and issuance with a certificate and badge by the Lagos State Office of Disability Affairs, there are numerous opportunities such as: free ride for physically-challenged persons on Bus Rapid Transit and LAGBUS,exclusive right to designated parking lots, special consideration for access to the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund facility, amongst others.

    The Federal Government must be humble to take her cue from Lagos and even exceed the giant strides the United States of America has recorded by virtue of the Americans with Disabilities Act, (ADA), which was introduced on July 26, 1990. Of note, the ADA was bolstered by the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Olmstead decision which determined that, under the ADA, people with disabilities cannot be unnecessarily segregated. Similarly, the Affordable Care Act tremendously advanced health equity and reduced health care disparities among Americans.

    The Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Bill 2016, though laudable will only produce the desired result if and only if there is sincere commitment on the part of the populace and the relevant authoritiesto make life more comfortable for Persons Living with Disabilities.

     

    *Michael O. Ogunjobi,

     Lagos.

  • 168 condemned persons’ terms for review

    168 condemned persons’ terms for review

    The Controller of Prisons in Lagos, Olumide Tinuoye, yesterday said plans were underway to review the sentences of 168 condemned prisoners to life imprisonment.

    Tinuoye addressed reporters after a reception organised in his honour by female prisons in Kirikiri.

    The Prisons chief, who was deployed in March, said the command was in talks with the Ministry of Justice to ensure that awaiting trial inmates, who had stayed long in prison, were freed.

    He also said the command was in talks with state government to deploy gadgets that would detect contraband from the gate so that the carriers would be denied access.

    Tinuoye said: “Having served in Lagos before, I know the major problem we have is the issue of awaiting trial congestion. We are working with the Ministry of Justice to ensure that inmates who have stayed longer do not have reasons to be in this prison.

    “Another thing is the issue of condemned criminals.  We have about 168 condemned inmates in Lagos state. I want to make sure that those condemned have their sentences converted to life imprisonment and by so doing, we will be able to decongest the cell where they are. We have a lot of cells that can take life imprisonment inmate.

    “Another aspect we need to look into is reformation of inmates and their reintegration into the society. A lot of our inmates have graduated with Masters. They did their first degree and masters in prison. What we are waiting for now is enabling laws to enable them be reintegrated into the society,” he said.

    Debunking claims of jail breaks, Tinuoye said what has been experienced in the country was cases of escape which signified a breach in security.

    “What we have been witnessing is escapes and it is not new in the prison system. It happens worldwide and shows a sign that there is security breach. We are working on the security,” he said.

    Praising the Deputy Controller incharge of Female Prisons, Mrs. Lisa Ekpendu for the innovations she has brought to that section,  Tinuoye described her as a different brand of officer.

    “She has done marvellous things here. She built laboratory and alot of resting places for inmates. She is a very energetic woman. She is someone who is very different from all the officers I have been seeing,” he said.

    In her remark, Mrs Ekpendu, who said there were 257 inmates in the female prison, added that nine children were born this year.

    “Have a lot of awaiting trials and most of them come in pregnant. We do not turn anybody down. We have clinic year and beautiful nurses who assist them. In the whole, we have about nine kids year this year,” she said.

  • Suspected cultists kill 15 persons in five Rivers communities

    Rampaging armed youths believed to be cultists have invaded five communities in Rivers State, killing 15 persons. They also burnt houses and looted properties valued at millions of naira.

    The communities are Ovogo, Rumuewhuo and Rumuji in Emuoha Local Government Area.

    A source yesterday said seven persons were killed in Ovogo. Two each were killed in Rumuehwuo and Rumuji.

    The gunmen invaded the Emuoha communities around 8 am yesterday. They started shooting, causing heavy panic. Residents scampered to safety. The community is presently deserted.

    Last Thursday and Friday, some hoodlums were said to have attacked Odhieje community of Ahoada East and burnt eight homes and looted properties, but no casualty was recorded.

    They also shot sporadically in Okogbie community, also in Ahoada East, between 9 pm on Friday and 5 am on Saturday. Three of the assailants were said to have been arrested by men of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF).

    The killings in Emuoha came within 24 hours after over 20 persons, including an expectant woman and two soldiers were reportedly killed in three communities of Umuokiri Aluu, University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) community, Omagwa in Ikwerre Local Government Area.

    Police spokesman Ahmad Muhammad, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), denied any knowledge of the killings and the arson in Ahoada East. He said in a text message: “I don’t think; if there was something like this, I’m not aware.”

  • Gunmen kill 20 persons, 83 cows in Nasarawa

    Gunmen kill 20 persons, 83 cows in Nasarawa

    Gunmen at the weekend killed 83 cows at Adayi in Nasarawa Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

    At Loko, the monarch claimed that about 20 people have been killed by gunmen in the last few weeks.

    The killings were suspected to be reprisals by gunmen who crossed over from Benue State.

    Although security agencies have stepped up investigation, the Fulani leader of Adayi area of Loko, Mallam Bideri Ahmadu, alleged that suspected Agatu gunmen from Benue State might be behind the killings.

    The traditional ruler of Loko, Alhaji Abubakar Ahmed Sabo, alleged that Agatu youths might have perpetrated the act.

    The Fulani community leader, Mallam Bideri Ahmadu, who addressed reporters in Loko, alleged that Agatu youths crossed over from Benue State about 10:30am last Saturday.

    He said the suspects had wanted to “rustle the cows in their boats across River Benue, but the cattle went berserk because of sporadic shootings.”

    Ahmadu said:  “Upon realising they could not achieve their aim, the Agatu youth opened fire on the cows, killing 83. The injured ones are in the bush.”

    The Mai Loko, Alhaji Abubakar Ahmed Sabo, said in the last few weeks, over 20 men, women and children were killed during attacks on Fulani people by Agatu youths from Benue State.

    He said the Loko Development Area has only two police officers with no rifles and appealed for more security presence.

    Sabo urged the Fulani not to retaliate because the government was looking into the crisis.

    The Director of Personnel Management (DPM) of the development area, Danlami Umar, said the “fishing community has suffered a setback because the riverine area has been taken over by Agatu youths, who kill at will.

    Police spokesman Ismaila Numan said the Nasarawa Division received a report of the killing of 83 cows by suspected hoodlums and investigation had started.

    A security source said: “There has been tension in the area since the killing of more than 300 people in Agatu area of Benue State by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

    “We are suspecting reprisals by Agatu youths who do not want Fulani herdsmen in their area again.

    “The crisis between the Fulani and the Agatu is posing a threat to life and property in the two states.

    “Nasarawa and Benue governments have to step into the incessant clashes between the Fulani and the Agatu.”

  • Pass our bill, disabled persons beg Ogun Assembly

    Physically-challenged persons in Ogun State have appealed to the House of Assembly to quickly pass the People Living With Disability Bill.

    They said this will enhance their chances of survival without resorting to begging.

    They said the bill if passed into law, among other things, would empower the Executive to create a special ministry with a special budget to cater for their needs through payment of monthly stipends.

    The group, which spoke under the aegis of Joint National Association of Persons Living With Disability (JNAPLWD), said its members “don’t want to beg anymore or be seen as beggars again”.

    It urged the lawmakers to expedite action on the bill.

    According to them, the bill was first presented to the House 16 years ago.

    The President of the Ijebu – Ode Local Government chapter, Keshinro Olaitan, spoke at an empowerment programme organised by an All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives member, Kehinde Odeneye.

    Odeneye donated a tricycle  to Keshinro, which was presented by Deputy Governor Yetunde Onanuga at the Dipo Dina International Stadium, Ijebu -Ode.

    Twenty others got tricycles, 40 got motorcycles. Hundreds of sewing machines, domestic gas cylinders, hair dryers, barbers’ tools, power generators and grinding machines were also given out.

    Odeneye, representing Odogbolu, Ijebu – Ode and Ijebu – North East, said the budget was well scrutinised and “controversial” portions expunged, adding that what was left when effectively implemented, would “earn Nigerians the benefits of change”.

    He pledged to do more to empower his people not only those from his constituencies but also for Ogun East Senatorial district – comprising six local governments.

  • Persons with disabilities shut down Calabar

    Persons with disabilities shut down Calabar

    Over 300 members of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities yesterday blocked the Murtala Muhammed Highway in Calabar to protest the alleged insensitivity of the Cross River State government to their plight.

    This crippled businesses in Calabar for hours as the highway is the only road in and out of the city. Most of them just laid on the tarmac.

    They carried placards, reading: “Why are we treated like less human, stigmatised in our state? “If disability is a crime, give us amnesty,” “Governor Ayade, respect the United Nations Convention on human rights of persons with disability,” “Governor Ayade, give us appointment, we also voted you into office, disability can affect anyone,” among others.

    Chairman of the association Ogar Inyang said: “The government of Cross River State is insensitive to our existence; they behave as if we do not exist. They treat us as if we have committed crime being disabled.

    “We’ve exhausted all avenues to dialogue with government. We wrote to the governor, deputy governor, chief of staff, we wrote to the House of Assembly, wrote to the commissioner of Police, made efforts to see the wife of the governor to plead with her to talk to her husband to listen to us but all efforts were in vain.

    “We need a secretariat and vehicles to cater for our transport need. One of us should be appointed as special adviser on persons with disabilities to give us a sense of belonging.”

    Also speaking, Etim Okon, the group’s Southern Senatorial District coordinator, said the solution to the quagmire was for Governor Ayade to address them in person, else “no retreat, no surrender.”

    “We are on the road because the government has refused to respond to our efforts. We have been dehumanised, reduced to beggars despite our intellectual capabilities.

    “The government is giving appointment, SA this, SA that, but we are never considered.  Last week, we staged a warning protest but nobody answered us. Today’s protest is a child’s play compared to the next one. We shall close down this state for days.

    “In Nigeria, we have almost five million people with disability and a number of them are in Cross River. They are not catered for in the budget. Let me ask, what is government’s policy on the education and health of people with disabilities? They are talking of housing, what are their plans for housing for people with disabilities?

    “Ordinarily, people pay N100 from this place to Watt market, but we spent as high as N400. Nobody cares about us. Disability is not bought in the market, if it was, none of us would buy. Ayade, as a learned man, knows how people like us should be treated but he is turning a blind eye, why, why?”

    Commissioner for Sustainable Development Mr Oliver Orok said: “This is the first time we are meeting since I assumed office. They have not come to complain about anything. So, I am wondering why they should do that. We are passionate about what they are passing through but they have never come to us with their complaints.  Those things are things that can be taken care of. Government is not God that will now sit down and know what your problem is.  Government has made it you will not pay tax. They have 10 per cent of employment for them, among others. As I talk to you, there are so many of them in my office working here just to make sure we accommodate them.  Those things are not issues. If it is appointments, is it not to announce appointments. If it is buses, we can get buses for them. But the governor is not in town. So I plead with them to give us one month, let them come and we sit on a round table and talk. They have never come here to talk or complain.”

  • Encouraging persons living with disabilities

    SIR: Today December 3, the world over commemorates the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The United Nations (UN) Decade of Disabled Persons was held from 1983 to 1992 to enable governments and organizations at all levels to implement measures to improve the life of disabled persons all over the world.

    As the decade drew to a close on October 14, 1992, the UN General Assembly proclaimed December 3 of every year as the International Day of Disabled Persons. It was first observed on December 3, 1992. Subsequently, on December 18, 2007, the Assembly changed the observance’s name from the ‘International Day of Disabled Persons’ to the ‘International Day of Persons with Disabilities’. The new name was first used in 2008.

    The term ‘disability’ broadly describes impairment in a person’s ability to function as an individual, caused by changes in several subsystems of the body or in mental health. The degree of disability may range from mild to moderate, severe, or profound. A person might also be suffering from multiple disabilities. Irrespective of the degree or nature of the disability, it can be measured objectively or subjectively.

    The condition could be inherited or genetically transmitted; congenital, meaning caused by a mother’s infection or other diseases gotten prior to or during pregnancy as well as soon after birth, or via embryonic/foetal developmental irregularities. It could also be acquired, such as conditions caused by illness or injury; or even of unknown origin, as the case may be.

    Whichever type that is involved, it is worth noting that an individual with disability can function as effective as, even more effective or efficient than, able-bodied individuals if given the needed support or encouragement.

    Against this backdrop, we are expected to always endeavour to do everything within our reach and humanly possible to ensure that persons living disabilities at our respective jurisdictions are duly given a sense of belonging starting from the classrooms to working places with a view to strengthening nation-building.

    It is no longer news that in the labour market as well as political settings, the degree of discrimination faced by persons living with disabilities is on the rise. In view of this, there’s a compelling need for the legislators to enact a strict law that would stipulates a basic statutory percentage of persons with disabilities expected to be found in any public sector, or a certain minimum number of persons with disabilities that must be employed or appointed in the civil service or political arena, as the case might be, in accordance with the recommendations of the United Nations.

    Recently, several prospective students with disabilities such as HIV/AIDS or physical challenges were deprived of their chances of securing admission thereby making most of them lose interest of furthering their education.

    As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to commemorate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, I enjoin every Nigerian and civil society organizations to at all times in their respective capacities endeavour to protect the rights of the teeming persons living with disabilities found within our various communities. We can do this by confronting any norm or perception that condones any kind of discrimination against them.

     

    • Comr Fred Doc Nwaozor

    Owerri