People Living with Disabilities (PWDs) and other groups in Adamawa State have taken opportunity of a public hearing on a bill to ease life for vulnerable people to seek accomodstion or protection of interests.
The Adamawa State Social Protection Bill provides for delibearte interventions by government to address the needs of the disadvantaged and vulnerable in society.
After a second reading on the bill earlier in the year at the state House of Assembly, the Assembly passed it to its Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development which has just concluded a public hearing on it.
At the hearing, representatives of PWDs reiterated, among other things, a need for the bill to make definite provisions, such as mandating easy accessway to public buildings in addition to specific welfare programs for the different forms of disability.
In addition to other vulnerable groups seeking needs specific to them, a particular issue which generated heated discussion was whether or not public servants should be taxed as one of the ways to raise funds for execution of programs under social protection.
The view was propagated that in efforts to raise the standards of the poor and less privileged in the spirit of social protection, people who are relatively better off, such as civil servants, should not be dragged into poverty through undue taxation.
The public hearing which took place in the state capital, Yola, was organised by the state House of Assembly Committee of Women and Social Development in collaboration with its partners, GIZ.
Chairman of the Committee and sponsor of the bill, Hon Kate Mamuno, in her address welcoming stakeholders to the public hearing, explained that the hearing was a platform for government agencies and development partners and citizens to contribute towards perfecting the bill which seeks to guarantee life of dignity and equity especially for women, children, the old, and people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
Hon Kate Mamuno who is also the Majority Leader of the state House of Assembly, appreciated Governor Ahmadu Fintiri for implementing some social protection programs already, but said such programs require a delebrate legal framework to ensure sustainability and long-term impact.
She added that such a law would also ensure that interventions reach those who need them most, hence the social protection bill.
The Adamawa State Social Protection Bill was developed through the support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, (BMZ) and the European Union under the Supporting Sustainable Social Protection, Participation and Economic Resilience in North East Nigeria (SEPIN SUSI) program implemented by GIZ.
The public hearing featured a delegation from Borno State which is also in the process of establishing a social protection law under the SEPIN SUSI programme.
In a message to the hearing, Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdulkarim Lawan, said through the Assembly member representing Maiduguri metropolitan constituency, Hon Ali Kotoko that the experience of Adamawa State so far is a lesson that Borno State is keen to learn towards doing its own social protection law.
Speaking for GIZ in a goodwill message, the Deputy commission manager for PETRA-DEP, one of GIZ’s programmes in the Northeast region, Mr Mahamane Brimaka expressed appreciation to all the stakeholders who have contributed to the progress of the Adamawa State Social Protection Bill so far.
The sponsor of the bill Kate Mamuno explained in a news interview after the public hearing that from now on, her committee would harmonise fresh suggestions made at the public hearing with the existing provisions of the bill for a holistic output.
By Onimisi Alao
