Chairman of the Abia State Commission for the Welfare of the Disabled Persons ( Commission ), Dr. David Anyaele, has lamented that despite Abia State having recorded significant milestones, such as the enactment of the Abia State Disability Law in 2022 and the establishment of this Commission in 2024 under Governor Dr. Alex Chioma Otti’s administration, persons with disabilities ( PWDs ) still face severe barriers in accessing justice.

Speaking Wednesday at a one-day capacity-building workshop on “Access to Justice, Leadership, Advocacy Campaigns, and Inclusive Governance,” held at Sun Haven Hotel in Umuahia, Abia State capital, Dr Anyaele stated that when PWDs ( persons with disabilities) are excluded from the justice system, justice is not accessible.

Also that when they ( PWDs) are excluded from governance, governance is not inclusive, adding, similarly, that if the PWDs are excluded from development, that development cannot be sustainable.

He consequently charged PWDs, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and Sign Language Interpreters to move from legal recognition to practical action in demanding their rights within the justice system.

Buttressing his submission, the Commission Chairman called for imagination of situations where ” a deaf woman who approaches a police station to report a case of violence but cannot communicate effectively because there is no Sign Language Interpreter, and where a wheelchair user who is unable to access a courtroom because the building has no ramp”.

He described these scenarios as being not mere accessibility issues but fundamental barriers to human dignity and the protection of fundamental human rights.

According to him, “When persons with disabilities are excluded from the justice system, justice is not accessible. When they are excluded from governance, governance is not inclusive, or excluded from development, that development is unsustainable,”.

Speaking during the event, the State Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, Mrs. Ngozi Blessing Felix, commended the Dr. Anyaele-led Commission and its partners for their inclusive approach.

The Commissioner, who underscored the critical intersection between social protection, poverty reduction, and access to justice, pledged her ministry’s commitment to ensuring that persons with disabilities are not left behind in the state’s development agenda.

The Abia State Coordinator of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IIDEA), Mr. Peter Omenka, explained that the RoLAC Phase II programme operates in seven Nigerian states with a core commitment to ensuring that PWDs, women, children, and survivors of violence can access justice without discrimination.

Stating that the workshop was specifically designed to close the existing gaps in rights awareness and professional interpretation, the state IDEA Coordinator said that, as expected, the participants would rise from the Workshop better equipped to drive disability inclusion in government budgets and community-level governance.

While outlining the principles of effective advocacy, with emphasis that the campaigns must be PWD-led, evidence-based, inclusive, accessible, and accountable, the Lead Workshop facilitator, Mr Godwin Unumeri, led the participants through a step-by-step process of problem identification and strategic campaign planning.

The training participants, in their reaction, described the workshop as a turning point in their advocacy journey.