Iloke Egbe
As a way of demonstrating that the People's first agenda is not simply a slogan by the Governor but a vision of governance in which Government understands that the ultimate measure of development is the improvement in the lives of the people, the Cross River State Government has flagoff persons with disabilities survey to enable ascertain their unique demographic and inclusion for planning and development.
The Governor, His Excellency Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu represented by the vice chairman, Chief Executive Officer of the State Planning Commission Pastor Dr Bong Duke declared the two day event open at the conference hall of Cross River State Geographic Information Agency Calabar. The event brought stakeholders from the National Bureau of Statistics State office, National Population Commission, Persons with Disabilities Commission in partnership with the State Geographic Information Agency, Civil Society organization and relevant Ministries Departments and Agencies of Government.
In his address, the vice chairman admitted that persons with disabilities are an important part of the State population as they belong to families, communities and take part in economic activities as students, professionals, entrepreneurs, workers and parents. That the responsibility of the Government is not just to speak about inclusion but to understand the realities they face and use the understanding to make better decisions.
That part of the objectives of the survey exercise is for the Government to where the gaps exist, and understand what the barriers are which may hinder persons with disabilities from accessing healthcare, education, employment, social services and other opportunities. How they participate in their communities and most importantly what Government can do better to improve their lives.
According to Mr Duke, Government cannot plan effectively for what it doesn't have adequate information and the needs of a population cannot be understood if the evidence is missing. He appealed to the enumerators to treat every household with dignity, listen to them carefully and ask questions with respect while soliciting for the cooperation of communities as the State Government attached so much importance to the exercise.
Earlier, the State Statistician General, Mrs Akedoh Okoi Edet asserted that the exercise is more than collecting figures, that it's about giving the Government better evidence to make better decisions as the information generated will help the Government and stakeholders identify gaps, plan appropriate Interventions, allocate resources more effectively and build a more inclusive Cross River State.
Mrs. Edet thanked the Governor His Excellency Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu for his support to the Bureau, the Vice Chairman Chief Executive Officer of SPC, CR-GIA and relevant stakeholders including Association of Persons with disabilities and appealed to Cross Riverians to give Enumerators the needed support and cooperation as they visit identified households.
The event was presided over by the Permanent Secretary State Planning Commission, Mr. Kingsley Ndem Eyibio and featured a presentation by the lead consultant Dr. Imoke Ethorty on the statistics of persons with disabilities from global to national report and the importance of accurate and reliable data in planning and development. Goodwill messages from relevant stakeholders, and practical training on CAPI
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