Plateau Government says it has repealed the State Disability Right Commission Act and will enact a new law that will be all inclusive. The decision, according to the State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr Dan Manjang, was taken at the State Executive Council meeting presided over by the Deputy Governor, Prof. Sonni Tyoden. Manjang said that the objective was to improve on the old law that was enacted in 2005.
“We know that the Disability Right Commission Law is in existence but we are proposing a new law that will be all inclusive. It would be all-inclusive in the sense that it will improve funding which was not adequately taken care of in the old law. It will accommodate donor agencies because the World Bank and other donor agencies have requirement that have to be included in the law which were hitherto not there,” he said.
He said that rights and well-being of people with special needs was dear to the heart of the State Government, hence the reason for the enactment of a new law. The commissioner said that the disability rights commission act was one of the laws that touched the fabric of the people of the state. He said that a Trust Fund would be established under the new law so that the commission would not lack the necessary funding.
“Not just the trust fund but also to make sure that the people would actually access the funds. An independent body of people with proven integrity outside the commission would be constituted to manage funds from the trust fund,” he said.
Mr Chris Ahmadu, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, said that one of the areas the new law would take into consideration was access to public places. Ahmadu said that the public institutions would have to create convenient access for people with disabilities.
“That will warrant some modifications in some public places. We want a sustainable source of funding for people with disability and that is why a trust fund is proposed,” he said.
