Disabled persons in Kaduna protest against signing of street hawking bill

      

The umbrella body of all disabled person’s and organizations of people living with disabilities in Kaduna State are poised for a protest on Friday, 13th May, 2016 in Kaduna to register their concern and grievances on the passage of the bill against street begging and hawking into law without an alternative arrangemnet for the members.
The members who stormed the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Kaduna, Friday in their hundreds are agitating that the street begging and hawking law was passed by the Kaduna State government without the state government fulfilling what it promised to the disabled before signing the bill into law.
The spokesman of the disabled, Mr Julius Shemang, said, “The passage of the street begging and hawking bill in the absence of adequate provisions for the street beggars first contradicts the agreed process reached that solutions will be proffered before the law come into effect.

“Before the 2015 general elections, you said at several occasions during your campaigns that if elected as the Executive Governor of our dear state, you will make life comfortable for our members by signing our bill with a commission.
“When the Guragun (Disabled) led APC paid you a solidarity visit in your compound when you were about to travel to Lagos in the build up to the governorship election, you said you will do your best to improve our lot and bettering our conditions of life in Kaduna, albeit the disability.

“On the 29th of December, 2014 at the Arewa House, Kaduna, where you hosted over 3,000 of our members to sell your candidature, you were informed and briefed on the Kaduna State disability Right Bill by the chairman of our members, you did give us the assurance for its passage if and when voted into office, including the provisions of free education and health care services for our members in the state.
“Also at an interactive section during the Ramadan period on the 14th July, 2015 at government house Kaduna with leadership of the disabled and JNI, the Bill issue and street begging and hawking was tabled, the fatherly assurance you gave us again was that street begging and hawking would not be banned until solutions are preferred or put in place to improve the living conditions and welfare under the Bureau for Islamic Affairs.”

He added that in one of the meetings with the governor, they were ordered by the governor to submit 30 applications each from the associations and organizations for consideration for employment, stressing that till date, none of their member had been given employment by the state government.