Edo 2024: “Only One Candidate Has Plans for PWDs in His Manifesto”, Ann Ajudo

Edo 2024: “Only One Candidate Has Plans for PWDs in His Manifesto”, Ann Ajudo

Ahead of the Edo state governorship election, Persons with Disabilities (PWD) in the state have decried politicians’ “charity approach” in providing the dividends of democracy during electioneering season. They have also set an agenda that calls for strong, inclusive participation in governance, which would allow them to hold key positions in government. Ann Ojudo, the

Ahead of the Edo state governorship election, Persons with Disabilities (PWD) in the state have decried politicians’ “charity approach” in providing the dividends of democracy during electioneering season. They have also set an agenda that calls for strong, inclusive participation in governance, which would allow them to hold key positions in government.

Ann Ojudo, the chairperson of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) in the state spoke in an exclusive interview with the Nigerian Democratic Report (NDR), recounting challenges facing the PWDs in the state, the way forward, and the role of policymakers in creating an enabling environment for them as the Edo people prepare to elect a new administration.

She’s irked by politicians’ charity approach to the PWDs during campaigns, donating trivial materials rather than enlisting them for active roles in the government despite their competence. She posited that the era of business as usual has ended, and their requests for practical approaches should be heard.

“You see, over the years, what ordinary politicians have known is the charity approach to persons with disabilities. They just feel we need walking aids, we need wheelchairs, and all those appliances; it’s beyond that. In the first place, persons with disabilities are human beings who have the right to vote, they have what it takes to vote and be voted for. So, we have to look at political participation. “How many of the political parties are enlisting people with disabilities?

People with Disabilities (PWDs)

“We have told our people to make sure they become card-carrying members of political parties and many of us have done that. In the last INEC Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, we made sure persons with disabilities in Edo state who are JONAPWD members in Benin City, in their local governments, and in the different communities who do not have voter cards registered as voters. We made sure they got their PVC and that they were active.

“We’re also mobilising them to make sure on the day of the election they come out early in the morning, come to the various polling units, and cast their votes for a candidate of their choice because, right now, what we have—the candidate themselves, we’re unable to interface with them one on one.”

The Candidates’ Manifesto and PWDs
Speaking about the relationship between PWDs and the governorship candidates in the state, the JONAPWD chairperson stated that only one candidate includes plans for them in his manifestos. She explained that, despite the expectation of the PWDs for the candidates to meet with them, the politicians have not been in contact with them.

“The first challenge is that, even among the candidates, there is a lack of understanding that people with disabilities exist. If you were to think that I matter, you would have to find a way to make me feel important and inform me of your plans when you get to the seat, do you get the picture?

“We have not been seeing the candidates except for one political party that has declared its manifesto, and that manifesto has something for PWDs. There is only one party that we’ve seen with the inclusive manifesto. When we say inclusive, it’s inclusive in a way that you see on the welfare side of it that every month they are going to be giving 20 thousand naira social security to persons with disabilities.

“He promised, that he’d build more schools for PWDs, that he’d provide assistive devices for PWDs, and the others, we have not seen them, though I’ve been trying to see where we can get them, but it’s not like we should be sorting after them because by the time I start running after them, it’ll look like no, I want to be political.

“They should come to us, let us know what they have for persons with disabilities. As you can see, the oldest person here should be 45 or maybe 50; that’s what we’re up to. That’s on average, and they are eligible to vote; they are not old people that are moribund, and you’d find out that if all of us come and say that they are giving consent, we know what that person would get.”

INEC and Preparations for PWDs
On the population of the PWDs in Edo state and the preparation of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the coming election, Mrs. Ojudo expatiated that despite the numbers of the PWDs in the state, they have not received the needed materials to vote during the election.

She further explained that even though the electoral commission has promised to provide some assistive tools for the poll, past events have suggested otherwise, explaining the mistrust of the INEC by the people.

“According to INEC, they typically supply, but occasionally what you see may not match what you comprehend. When you go to primary school on the day of the election, you’d see them taking in and placing ballot boxes on an extremely high pavement, Then, talk of the visually impaired who can’t see, how are they to know the position of the boxes or how to differentiate which box belongs to what party?

“They’ll tell you that they’ll bring braille ballots, but for the braille ballot, they don’t even come to tell the people, you know there has to be sensitization about that. Even the INEC staff don’t know how to use the Brail ballot boxes. No, there are no people to put people through, they say they have an EC form, the last time I was there, I had to make sure I specifically demanded that. All these things have to be there on the side of the INEC.

“Maybe when INEC has them and they recruit polling unit officers, they should give intensive training to the ad hoc staff, and then that’s why they should look not to engage in nepotism. INEC officials are supposed to visit us or organize training, so they’d let the person know how to use these things. These are things that should be done well. People with disabilities are human beings, politicians are looking for human beings who would vote for them; they should visit our constituency, we are ready to support, vote for, and support anyone who’ll make life meaningful for us in the sense of charity, give us good offices, good governance; and inclusive governance.

Expectations from the New Administration
Setting the agenda for the incoming administration in the state, Mr Ojudo highlighted their expectations from the government. She advocated for the establishment of a Ministry of Persons with Disabilities or a commission to coordinate PWD affairs.

“Let there be a commission where people with disabilities will be part of those that would manage it like maybe the chairman would be a person with disabilities, or the secretary like we have it at the national level for documentation purposes.

“Yes, we want our people to be given positions like SSAs, and other positions. We should be able to be at the helm of affairs. And, then we’re also looking at desk officers in most of the government ministries. We want to be able to be everywhere, like in the Ministry of Gender and Social Development.

“So that when a person with disabilities comes, instead of giving the charity model approach oh he has come to beg money and the likes, there’d be someone to talk to that’ll understand them. The person might not need money, he might have come to look for a job and you’d find out the normal way of seeing people with disabilities as people in need Like police stations, they’d say we don’t beg for money here when they see someone with disabilities. But if there’s a desk officer with disabilities, it won’t be so. When I go to report issues, I should be able to report them without the person seeing me as a beggar.

“We want inclusivity in all aspects of life, including church, workplaces, and a governor who will sign a law or establish a commission, just as we have a ministry of gender and social development, a ministry of youth, and a ministry for people with disabilities in the state. It should be headed by someone with disabilities and then the secretary.

“There should also be desk officers. So any aspirants that are ready to do this, then we’re ready to support them. And then even the political parties themselves should be inclusive, with my level of education, I want them to vote for me as a member of the House of Assembly, they should not check the wheelchair I’m sitting on, you should check my ability and how well I can serve my dignity and components”.

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