Foundation celebrates Day of Persons with Disabilities 2018 in Kano, as Ganduje signs disability bill

The Kanawa Educational Foundation for the Disabled, focused on providing empowerment and educational opportunities for People with Disabilities in Kano state, Monday hosted a public event in commemoration of the 2018 International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

The event was organized in collaboration with the Department of Special Education, Bayero University, Kano and the Joint National Association of Peoples with Disabilities (JONAPWD) under the theme for 2018: “Empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equality.”

“This year’s theme focused on empowering persons with disabilities for an inclusive, equitable and sustainable development as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” said a statement by the UN commemorating the day.

“The 2030 Agenda pledges to “leave no one behind”. Persons with disabilities, as both beneficiaries and agents of change, can fast track the process towards inclusive and sustainable development and promote resilient society for all, including in the context of disaster risk reduction and humanitarian action, and urban development.”

Since 1992, International Day of Persons with Disabilities is celebrated on the 3rd of December to promote the rights and wellbeing of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development and to increase awareness about the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of life: political, social, economic and cultural.

In his keynote address, Prof Murtala Sagagi of the Dangote Business School at Bayero University decried the fact that people with disabilities were still being discriminated by government agencies and businesses alike and therefore not being given equal access to education, infrastructure and resources.

“Unfortunately in the last few years we have not seen any change in the attitude of governments and businesses on the challenges being faced by people with disabilities; this people should be given opportunity to excel. I always say everybody has special needs, only that we have different shortcomings. There should be laws allowing disabled people access to education, infrastructure, and resources,” Sagagi said.

Also speaking at the event, the head of the special education department at Bayero, Dr Hassana Sani Darma said: “This celebration will help us remember this people (disabled) and their needs. We have to see them as human beings, we have to look beyond what they cannot do and help them achieve what they can do. Let’s contribute towards helping people with disability whether they are far away from us or near us.”

In a related development, the Executive Governor of Kano State, His Excellency Abdullahi Umar Ganduje on Tuesday accented to the People Living With Disability Amendment Bill 2018, which was sponsored by the Kanawa Educational Foundation for the Disabled with the support of UK-DFID’s Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL) programme.

The bill which is now a law is aimed at guaranteeing the fundamental human rights of PWDs in Kano State including enforcing their basic rights like access to quality healthcare, education as well as making public buildings accessible to them or rather disability-friendly.