Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
The Commissioner of Budget and Economic Planning, Edo State, Mr. Osilama Okuofu, has apologized to Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in the state for not including them in the free bus ride scheme, saying it was not a deliberate act.
Recall that the state governor, Godwin Obaseki, as a way of cushioning the effects of hardship brought upon the people of the state due to the fuel subsidy removal, decided to give free bus ride to the citizens of the state.
The Commissioner, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr. Iserhienrhien Efe said that it was not deliberate but that the buses were bought about 15 years ago and that there was nothing like palliative as at then.
Okuofu said that the word palliative gained prominence since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic adding that they should bear with the government and that going forward, they will always be carried along.
The Commissioner said that as for the new secretariat, the PWDs were placed in focus while designing it.
While admitting that the economic is really bitting hard on Nigerians due to the removal of fuel subsidy by the federal government, Okuofu said those worse hit are the PWDs.
Okuofu added that the PWDs need the support of everyone including that of the government, maintaining that the ministry will henceforth keep an eye on all budget submitted by various ministries to ensure that it captures the interest of the PWDs in the state.
Earlier, the Executive Director, Network for the Advancement of People With Visible Disabilities (NAPVID) and convener, Edo Disability Forum (EDF), Melody Omosah, said that the PWDs are three times more disadvantaged and disproportionately affected by the fuel subsidy removal adding that it’s fostering inequality against PWDs and further limiting their inclusivity and opportunities.
NAPVID boss said that recently, NAPVID, under the “Resilient Net: Empowering Inclusivity and Adaptability in Emergency” Project, conducted Focus Group Discussion (FGD), among disability clusters across the three senatorial districts of Edo State, and administered 20 questionnaires to PWD households in each of the three senatorial districts in the state, to ascertain first hand of the impact of the fuel subsidy removal on the lives and livelihood of Persons with Disabilities.
He said also, Key Informant Interviews (KIl), was carried out among senior officials in ministries, departments and agencies, to find out the programme of government for PWDs Post Fuel Subsidy Removal.
He maintained that statistics from the survey, reveal that 100 percent of PWDs have encountered increased financial strain post-subsidy removal.
He said personal stories underline the daily struggles faced, from inaccessible and unaffordable transportation, social exclusion to compromised healthcare adding that studies also indicate a direct correlation between subsidy removal and a decline in overall well-being for this demographic.
He said that PWDs describe the current economic situation occasioned by the fuel subsidy removal, as alarming, critical, unbearable, suffocating and frustrating.
He appealed to the ministry to work out a modality to see that the PWDs are placed on a monthly stipend so that they can be able to cater for some of their daily needs.