– Blames FG For Palliatives Exclusion —- Calls For Creation Of PWDs Commission
The over 675,000 Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in Edo State on Thursday raised the alarm over what they described as “Untold Hardship” they have been subjected to since the removal of fuel subsidy by the federal government, blaming the presidency for excluding them from palliatives distribution.
This is coming as the group called for the creation of People With Disabilities (PWDs) Commission or establishment of PWDs Ministry by the Federal and State government to take care of their affairs.
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The Executive Director, Network for the Advancement of People With Visible Disabilities (NAPVID) and Convener, Edo Disability Forum (EDF), Melody Omosah who raised the alarm at a press conference in Benin said, since President Bola Tinubu’s inaugural speech on May 29th, announcing the removal of fuel subsidy, the over 675,000 Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in Edo State have been going through hard times.
Omosah who titled his address “Mitigating the impact of fuel subsidy on persons with Disabilities: The need for inclusive and functional social protection mechanism” said the 675,000 persons quoted was 2019 statistics and that there is every tendency that the numbers might have gone beyond that.
“Currently, the estimated 675,000 PWDs in Edo State (2019 data) are groaning under the weight of the removal of subsidy on fuel by the Nigeria government, as no functional social protection mechanism has been specifically put in place to ensure their survival.
“Sadly, this has further increased their vulnerability, leading to an endless cycle of poverty and disability”, Omosah said.
He said PWDs are three times more disadvantaged and disproportionately affected by the fuel subsidy removal adding that it’s fostering inequality against PWDs and further limiting their inclusivity and opportunities.
Omosah suggested that one of the easiest ways to provide succour to people with disabilities is the establishment of PWDs Commission or creation of a ministry for PWDs by Federal and the various state governments to handle their affairs.
NAPVID boss said that recently, NAPVID, under the “Resilient Net: Empowering Inclusivity and Adaptability in Emergency” Project, conducted Focus Group Discussion (FGD), among disability clusters across the three senatorial districts of Edo State, and administered 20 questionnaires to PWD households in each of the three senatorial districts in Edo State, to ascertain first hand of the impact of the fuel subsidy removal on the lives and livelihood of Persons with Disabilities.
He said also, Key Informant Interviews (KIl), was carried out among senior officials in ministries, departments and agencies, to find out the programme of government for PWDs Post Fuel Subsidy Removal.
He maintained that statistics from the survey, reveal that 100% of persons with disabilities have encountered increased financial strain post-subsidy removal.
He said personal stories underline the daily struggles faced, from inaccessible and unaffordable transportation, social exclusion to compromised healthcare adding that studies also indicate a direct correlation between subsidy removal and a decline in overall well-being for this demographic.
He said that PWDs describe the current economic situation occasioned by the fuel subsidy removal, as alarming, critical, unbearable, suffocating and frustrating.
He said 100 percent of the participants agreed that, staying at home without hope for the next meal has increased the feeling of loneliness, overthinking and depression. Some of the participants said that they even entertain suicidal thoughts.
He however called for a concerted efforts from the state and the federal governments to urgently address the following, healthcare access, implement inclusive employment policies, vocational training programmes, and provide interest-free business grants for the PWDs to cushion the effects of the subsidy removal on them.
