By Leonard Okachie
The Abia State Commission for the Welfare of the Disabled Persons has urged persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Ikwuano Local Government Area to form cooperative societies.
The commission’s Chairman, Mr David Anyaele, gave the advice on Thursday, during a townhall meeting with PWDs at Isiala, the council headquartres.
Anyaele urged them to organise themselves properly into cooperative groups so that the commission could use the cooperatives to negotiate support for them as a group.
He further advised them to ensure that the cooperatives were properly registered with the State Government to enable them to benefit maximally from government’s largesse to cooperative groups in Abia.
Anyaele said: “Being a member of a cooperative society can provide numerous benefits, from economic and social advantages to operational and personal growth opportunities.
“This is because, as stakeholders, you will have interest in the day-to-day running of the cooperative society.
“As members, you have a sense of ownership and control over the cooperative, fostering a sense of responsibility and commitment.”
Anyaele, who was accompanied by some board and staff members of the commission, said that all the issues raised by the PWDs were noted and would be catalogued for the 2026 budget.
“We are visiting the LGAs across the state and asking each cluster in the disability community to present a situation request that represents the peculiarity of their clusters,” he said.
Earlier, the Chairperson of Joint National Association of PWDs (JONAPWD) in Ikwuano LGA, Mrs Chidinma Dennis, presented different requests of the PWDs in the area.
Dennis said that the association had acquired a space for its palm oil processing project, but needed the fund to purchase the machines.
“As an association, we deem it wise to have an internal revenue generating source that we can deploy to support our members financially when there are emergencies,” she said.
In a remark, the Mayor of Ikwuano LGA, Dr Anthony Nwaubani, expressed happiness about the quality of interaction with the PWDs.
According to Nwaubani, what concerns you concerns me too and you don’t need to beg before you are helped.
He said that he ensured the inclusion of ramp in the ongoing construction of a two-storey Administrative Block in the council.
He said that the reason was to enable PWDs to access the building, including the toilets, from the ground to the last floor.
He also said that the council would engage with the town planning authorities not to give approval for the construction of any public facility that would not be disability-friendly.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that different disability clusters in the LGA, including the hearing impaired persons, the blind, and physically disabled, were present at the meeting.
(NAN)
