The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has reaffirmed its commitment to empowering persons living with disabilities in Ogoni Land, as the group demands inclusion in the 2027 general elections.
Speaking during a celebration of the International Day of Persons Living with Disabilities, held at Wiayakara Community, Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, HYPREP’s Project Coordinator, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, emphasized the project’s dedication to inclusivity.
“We believe that inclusivity is a matter of justice, dignity, and equality. We are committed to ensuring that the Ogoni people living with special needs are fully integrated into project planning and implementation, so that they can benefit accordingly,” Prof. Zabbey said.
HYPREP has made significant efforts to engage with persons living with disabilities, including the creation of a special desk in the Project Coordination Office to protect their interests. The project has also approved five targeted training programs to equip persons with disabilities with relevant skills.
Beneficiaries of the project expressed their gratitude, with Miss Precious God-first Lebarami saying, “I’m very grateful for what HYPREP is doing today in our midst. I did not know that they would celebrate us, but today what they promised has come to us.”
Comrade Collins Gladday Akpana, Chairman of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, Rivers State Chapter, welcomed the initiative, saying, “The opportunity provided by HYPREP is astonishing and welcomed. It shows that they truly care about persons with disabilities.”
Meanwhile, persons with disabilities in Rivers State are calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to implement stronger measures to guarantee their full participation in the 2027 general elections.
The demand for inclusion was made during a stakeholders’ engagement focused on addressing barriers faced by persons with disabilities during previous elections, organized by the Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN) in collaboration with the Rivers State Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation.
A communiqué signed by cluster heads of various disability groups and read by the Secretary of the Drafting Committee, Ifenyinwa Dora, urged the Rivers State House of Assembly to domesticate the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 and the Electoral Act.
The communiqué also called on INEC to fully enforce existing laws protecting the rights of persons with disabilities, and for the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) to ensure that political parties actively include persons with disabilities in their decision-making processes.
The Head of Governance at SDN, Flora Asiere, stated that the engagement aimed to strengthen the inclusion of persons with disabilities in Rivers State’s electoral processes, and that SDN would continue to engage relevant stakeholders to ensure the full implementation of the communiqué.
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