Nkechinyere Ewa-Opkara
The Ebonyi State House of Assembly has passed a bill into law to establish the “Ebonyi State Disability Rights Commission Bill Establishment Law and Other Matters 2025.”
The bill was passed into law on Friday by the 7th Assembly.
Hope Inspired Foundation, a non-governmental organization with a focus on persons with disability, as well as other CSOs, had worked tirelessly in the past 13 years for the passage of the bill.
Correspondent reports that following various elaborate submissions from the lawmakers during the first and second readings of the bill, Hon. Nkemka Okoro, the Chief Whip of the House, moved a motion, which was seconded by Hon. Ifeanyi Nwakpu, to dissolve the House into a committee of the whole. After thorough discussions, the 38-page bill, comprising 44 sections, was passed into law.
The Ebonyi Disability Rights Commission aims to promote the full inclusion of persons with disabilities into the mainstream of society, particularly in the areas of education, health, empowerment, rehabilitation, and civil rights, ultimately improving their quality of life and supporting initiatives for their transformation.
The Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon. Moses Odunwa, instructed the Clerk of the House to forward the bill to the Government House for the governor’s assent.
Section 34 of the bill mandates that walkways be provided for persons with disabilities and that pedestrian bridges must include ramps. Subsection “F”of Section 34 further stipulates that any vehicle not transporting a person with a disability and parked along the PWD walkways will incur a fine of 5,000 naira per hour. If the offender fails to comply, they will be prosecuted and may face a fine of 20,000 naira or a three-month prison sentence.
Bar Uruchi Odo, the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice expressed gratitude to the lawmakers for the rapid hearing of the bill, stating that the executive would not hesitate to assent to it in the best interest of persons with disabilities in the state.
The Attorney General also announced that the state government plans to commence the construction of two special schools for the blind and individuals with hearing impairments.
Ifeanyi Nwekporo, the Ebonyi Central Coordinator of Persons with Disabilities, who were among those that observed the proceedings of the House and the passage of the bill, thanked the 7th Assembly for finally realizing a goal that had taken over 13 years to achieve.