The Plateau State Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities (JONAPWD), on Thursday said they were stopped by the Plateau State government from embarking on a protest in the State aimed at demanding their constitutional rights.
JONAPWD was to protest the high rate of negligence by the government, after a series of efforts had been made to reach those in authority, the State Chairman of the Association, Comrade Shindol Aaron Adams said.
Adams explained that it is not their intention to make their request known through protest but because the government has kept deaf ears to the avalanche of complaints brought to their table.
“We decided to go out against the government not because we really want to protest, but because we have been denied our constitutional rights, and what the law provides for us as statutory”, he said.
JONAPWD said the Plateau State government has denied them everything such as the right to free education, employment, loans and grants especially for those who could not afford to go to school.
Adams who spoke to our correspondent after being stopped on a planned protest said: “We have not enjoyed any of our privileges since the inception of this government. In fact to prove to us that this government is not disability friendly in terms of education, two years ago some of our students in the University of Jos who against all odds have been trying to acquire education so as to be useful to themselves were ejected from the school hostel because they could not pay the accommodation fees.
“When they tried to seek help from the government they were humiliated by the school security and when we heard of what happened and approached the security they told us they were acting on powers from above.
“Another right to persons with disabilities is employment. The law provides 5-per cent slots for us but we have not enjoyed that privilege.
“Recently a few months ago, the government carried out employment in different institutions and we asked for our own slots, but nothing was done.
“We have another right that has not been met, that is people who could not afford to go to school, the law stipulates that the government should provide soft loans and grants but this government has failed us even in this aspect.
“Health issues is another struggle we are battling with, the law provides we shall enjoy discounts when we go to access healthcare but we have also been denied”, he said.
The Chairman said the government hired thugs to disrupt their planned protest, politicizing it and creating a faction of their association, and lied to them that it was the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)that sponsored the protest just to give the All Progressive Congress (APC) a bad name.
“This is proof that the government does not want to do anything for us. They have impoverished us and want us to remain like that. Our members are dying for lack of food, going to the streets to seek help”, he said.
Going forward, Adams said they have had a briefing with the State Commissioner of Police, CP Bartholomew Onyeka, who has promised to ensure that they have interface with Governor Simon Lalong.