The Abia State Commission for the Welfare of Disabled Persons has called for partnership with the Abia State Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection for Persons with Disability (PWDs) in the state.
The Chairman of the Commission, David Anyaele made the call in Umuahia during a visit to Mrs Ngozi Blessing Felix, Abia State Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection.
He said that a report by the United Nations claimed there were more than 400,000 Persons With Disability, PWDs in Abia State, noting that the figure was alarming.
Anyaele said it was paramount for both offices to partner to alleviate poverty, protect and eradicate barriers limiting PWDs and enhance their inclusion in society.
“Any time you open the media space what you see and hear is poverty unleashed all over the place which indirectly means that the number of PWDs is increasing because poverty causes disability and disability causes poverty”, the Disabled Persons Commission Chairman said.
He said there was a need for all government agencies in the state to factor PWDs into their policies, plans and programmes even as he said that previous administrations in Abia excluded PWDs from their activities.
Responding to the appeals, Abia State Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, Ngozi Felix said plans were already underway to ensure the inclusion of PWDs in all the ministry’s programmes.