By Yakubu Salisu, Kano
Popular Kano Social Development worker, Richard Musa has has called on members of the State House Assembly to hasten processes to ensure passing into Law the PWD Bill pending before it.
According to him, the bill when pass into Law will not only protect the rights of persons living with disabilities, but also a tool to get them off the streets.
Musa, made the call during a one-day training on techniques of reporting people with disabilities in the media for journalists organized by Stallion Times Media Services Limited in collaboration with Wole Soyinka Center for investigation Journalism and MacArthur Foundation.
Richard called for the speedy passage of the bill noting failure to pass the bill into law by the current Assembly can led to fresh processes as the bill has currently gotten approval of the State Executive Council, SEC and pending before the lawmakers for passage.
According to him, “After the PWD bill was being assented into law in 2018, the Executive Governor referred it back to the State House of Assembly for amendment to provide for establishment of a commission as reflected at the Federal level.
“The amended law has gotten approval from the State Executive Council and currently pending before the assembly.
“The challenge we are facing is delay in the passage of the bill. We started the process sometimes in March, 2021. Continuous delay in passage and assent of the bill into law during this tenure of administration may lead to restarting the entire executive/Legislative processes.
“The PWDs bill is an comprehensive bill which was to ensure a dignified life for the persons. The bill when passed into law and implemented according to the provisions of the framework would go a long way to bridging the Gap between the society and one of the most marginalized group.
“The social contract between the government and the citizens which has since being severed can be repaired through this process.
“It also presents Kano State the biggest opportunity to stamp out street begging in Northern (majority of whom are PWDs) as well as the biggest problem to make governance, societal cohesion and safety of lives and properties,” the ESPID Advocacy and Communication Officer, Musa said.
On his part, the Head of Department, Mass Communication, Dr. Mainasara Yakubu Kurfi urged the media practitioners to be conscious of their choice of words while writing reports on the PWDs in order not to stereotype or marginalize them.
Earlier, the organizer and publisher of Stallion Times, Ishyaku Ahmed said the training became imperative to equip the journalists with techniques in reporting the persons.
“Journalists have an important role to play in the media space to professionally increase representation of PwDs, and reinforce positive thinking rather than portray PwDs in stigmatizing ways, as objects of pity, or as mere data,” Ahmed said.