Inclusion: B'da City Council urge to consider needs of Persons With Disabilities in decision making

By Martial Gnoukapasir

ngong peter addressing the concerns of pwd at City council consultation meeting

The call was made by Ngong Peter of the Coordinating Unit of Persons With Disabilities(PWD), during a public consultation meeting organized by the council Wednesday 19th at the Parcours Vita Hall, to get the aspirations of city dwellers as the council begin executing the 2022 budget. 

Chaired by the city mayor Achobong Paul, Ngong Peter, a visually impaired narrated to the audience how he suffered when the decision prohibiting the circulation of bikes within some major itineraries of the city made movement and life very difficult for him and other person's living with disabilities.

He said though the decision was imperative for security reasons, the council would've and in future,  make exceptions in favour of pwd's, considering that visually impaired like him and others use motorbikes as their primary source of transportation, as it picks and drops them from and to non motorable destinations.

In proposing what could be done to achieve this, Ngong Peter said there was need for the city council to recruit a focal person for those with disabilities at the council, who could raise their concerns during critical decision making meetings and prepare their own documentation during such consultations and exchanges with the city council.

" We believe that if those with disabilities are included by the council when they're drawing up  projects of the city, we'll have a wide range of opinions and activities that will help beautify and develope the town. So I'm pleading that the city council like others put in place a disability focal person that will help represent our opinions in all aspects and projects concerning the city" he said

Mayor Achobong Paul in response said the budgeting and projects of the council have always taken into consideration the needs of those livingwith disabilities.

Mayor Achobong responding to worries raised at public consultation meeting

"decisions however that has to address the security concerns like the ban on bikes from plying certain areas of the city need not have limitations," Mayor achobong said

He said the council in 2021 offered over 1million to persons with disabilities, plus books and pens etc, to students and will still do more this year.

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