AS YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES IN ZAMBIA JOIN THEIR NORMAL COUNTERPARTS IN THE POLL,WILL PRESIDENT LUNGU RETAIN HIS SEAT?

Come Thursday, 11th August 2016 Zambians will go to the polls to elect new crops of leaders who will steer the affairs of their country with a population of 14.15 millions.

Of interesting scene of note is the presidential contest in which the incumbent President, Edgar Chagwa Lungu is battling to retain his seat for the third term under the Patriotic Front (PF) party.

In fact there lay ahead of President Lungu the biggest challenge as he need to face other eight opponents who are also in the race for the presidential seat of power, one of which is Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development (UPND) who may be a hard nut for  Lungu to crack. Both leaders competed in the 2015 presidential elections and Lungu won by a very narrow margin.

Other candidates who are also contesting alongside Lungu and Hichilema to occupy Lusaka the presidential seat of power are Tiyenji Chanda  Kaunda of the United National Independence Party, Nawakwi Zewelani Edith, Forum for Democracy and Development; Saviour Chishimba, United Progressive Party; Wynter Kabimba, Rainbow Party; Peter Sinkamba, Green Party; Andyford Banda, People's Alliance for Change, and Maxwell Mwamba of the Democratic Assembly.

While Lungu and his camps are busy employing every machinery of his government to ensure continuity in office beyond 2016, his opponents on the other hand, have gone to every nooks and crannies of the country preaching the gospel of policy changes to the people and electorates and they are promising them better services delivery at the grassroots.

Besides, Zambian citizens living with disabilities have also taken the ample opportunity offered them by the 2016 general elections to address their plights and call for reforms that are disability-friendly and inclusive. They have been carrying out seminars, press conferences and advocacy visits to various political campaign offices and candidates across the country including the Electoral Commission of Zambia toward ensuring equal participation and inclusion of people with disabilities and the urgent need for political aspirants to come up with policies and programmes implementation that are disability-inclusive in order to address their plights.

According to the Founder and Chief Executive Director of Zambia Deaf Youth and Women, Dr Frank Musukwa, "15% of Zambia population comprises of persons with disabilities with the youth as majority whose concern and plights have not been properly addressed in the past 24 years under the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare". Musukwa who is also the Interim President of the African Deaf Initiative (ADI), a Consortium of African deaf people working for equal opportunities with headquarter in Kitwe, Zambia, is strongly advocating for the creation of a separate Ministry for Disability Affairs and Directorate for Disability Affairs at State House or Cabinet Office for effective and efficient services delivery.
He then called on citizens with disabilities to turn out enmass during the elections and cast their votes as that is the only way to identify with the country and her leaders and shape the way.

It is re-stating the obvious to assert here that in most African Nations, African political leaders are rigid and reluctant to vacate offices. Power,they say,is sweet and once tasted they want to occupy offices for life. Corruption has thus assumed a serious dimension in the African political leadership unabated.

On the 7th of August 2016, we heard and read that the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) held a peace concert at Heroes Stadium Lusaka. Several artists made it to the event to share songs on peace and to undertake voter education on the general elections and referendums.
Good move in the right direction worth of commendation.

Now the question that remain unanswered is, "Will President Lungu retain his seat now that Hichilema his closed main challenger in the 2015 general elections challenging him again for the second time?"

Well, Zambians will decide at the polls and whoever wear the cap will have the herculean task of addressing the many challenges facing youth with disabilities in the country.

NNADHQ 2016: VOTE SHEMANG FOR NATIONAL PRESIDENT!

NNADHQ  2016!!          vote: Shemang for NP!

INTRODUCTION:

Dear esteemed members of Nigerian Deaf Community, having followed, watched and reviewed the ongoing trends and events unfolding in the leadership of the Nigeria National Association of the Deaf(NNAD),National Headquarters, Abuja especially the recent built-up to our supposed peaceful and historical AGM/IWD/ELECTION in Edo State, I Julius Shemang, (PenMan),an Adventitious Deaf Nigerian from Kaduna State in the North West region, and with deepest sense of humour, respect, humility, dedication and determination and with painstaking drive, thus wish to declare that I am contesting for the Presidency of our beloved NNADHQ. I joined the services of NNAD in the year 2000, albeit the need for collective struggles in liberating Deaf Community. Thanks to the NNAD Kaduna now Kaduna State Association of the Deaf (KASAD) and members of the Deaf Community who offered useful advice and encouragement which inevitably led to my membership enrolment in the State.

WHY I AM CONTESTING FOR THE POST OF NATIONAL PRESIDENT:

Before the Minna 2011 AGM/ELECTION, there had been complaints in various quarters that the NNADHQ is lagging behind in leadership accountability and transparency as well as leadership structures. If giving the mandate to lead and direct your affairs at the Headquarters, (WE will) not (I will) work together to achieve the followings:

(1). First and foremost, we plan and intend to bring CHANGE in the NNAD leadership structures at national level thereby putting an end to the unnecessary tenure elongation and crisis. To do this, the NNAD national constitution particularly the section dealing with AGM/Election will be looked into and reviewed alongside other thorning issues to make it gender and regionally more inclusive and balanced.

(2). A periodical compilation and circulation of NNAD financial and other activities reports to keep state branches and members abreast will be the focus of the new leadership.

(3). Securing a permanent office for NNADHQ in Abuja.

(4). The NNADHQ Magazine which should ideally serve as an advocacy tool for Deaf Nigerians while generating income for the organization, will be revamped to full capacity. In that an independent editorial board comprising of able Deaf men and women from the six geo-political zones of our country working in partnership with other organizations both locally and internationally will be set up to manage its affairs.

(5). NNADHQ under me will for the first time create a space in the office of the President for appointment of a Senior Special Assistant (SSA) and Special Assistants(SAs), in line with the need to bring practical CHANGES by giving our people a sense of belonging while carrying them along in the affairs of the organization.

(6). We will in the spirit of unity and onerous task of being accountable to our people create and maintain a befitting village square or listserv (e-mail group)for Deaf Nigerians in the office of the Secretary General to be co-moderated with the NPRO under my watch. The listserv will be a formidable platform for information sharing/dissemination for all Deaf Nigerians both at home and abroad and our partners in NIDETA and ASLIN, others.

(7). As people friendly regime with open door policies,we will work mostly through committees of able men and women cutting across the six geopolitical zones of the country, thereby giving our youths and women better and fair representation. Example of such committees include Education, Proposals, Activities/Events Planning, Advisory, Monitoring/Evaluation &Implementation, among others.

(8). My tenure will work positively and in partnership with other Deaf organizations and NGOs to put a stop to unemployment among Deaf. We shall work hard to facilitate skills and vocational training, work with Banks to assist Deaf Entrepreneurs and encourage Deaf sports, Artisans and others to be more productive.

(9). Various academic and scholars papers presented on Deafness issues at various conferences and Seminars, etc, will now be edited into books and booklets and sold for incomes. Besides, we will pursue a welfare ideology that will influence the Deaf to love NNAD including our diaspora colleagues and make them want to contribute to make it a pride for all.

(10). Giving the mandate, my tenure will be that of rebranding and repositioning of Deaf image. We shall try our possible best to create an enabling environment for Deaf to thrive. We shall continue with the "Deaf Manifesto" and ensure that the Deaf have political voice and participation in governance by parley with the government and political parties, INEC and the States and National Assembly. Apart from this, quality enriching, cross-fertilization platforms will be raised via workshops, seminars, exhibitions and capacity building, all of which will enrich the Deaf Community.

(11). NNAD under me will raise a committee to find land for Deaf Caring Guests and Conference Centre. If we can get land allocation from the federal government we shall draw an architecture of a befitting Deaf House in Abuja where Hotels will be cheap for Deaf if built and we can generate income from rentage of conference Halls, Hotels and Suites.

(12). In order to peacefully unite to collaboratively advocate for disability Policy Changes in Nigeria that includes Nigeria signing into law, Nigerians with disabilities Rights Bill with an essential, independent COMMISSION, we will work hard to correct the seeming lack of atom of peace, unity, networking and collaboration among the JONAPWD Headquarter, her State Chapters, Clusters, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and the entire 25.5 million Nigerians with disabilities.

(13). We will position the NNAD Headquarter to become one of the lead champions for 25.5 million Nigerians with disabilities in advocating, lobbying and negotiating with the Federal Republic of Nigeria to continue implementation of the UNCRPD and SDGs by signing into law, Nigerians with disabilities Rights Bill with an essential, independent Commission while registering the NNAD to directly become part of internationally recognized DPOs, African Disability Forum, United Nations, the African Union, etc.

(14). Knowing that PEACE is the pre-requisite for development in any leadership, we hope to tackle disunity and conflicts in the NNAD family by appointing a committee of Elders as a roadmap.

ABOUT ME:

1. High moral standards
2. Good team player
3. Silent achiever
4. Calm but dispositionately firm
5. Ability to influence people positively
6. A non-religious and tribalisted person who believe in human equality without bias or discrimination
7. A volunteer and servant leader with passion 8. Dedicated, honest,and accountable personality
 9. A non-corrupt person who has not been found wanting
10. Accountability and Transparency in leadership are always my watch words
11. Talking less, Acting more

POSITIONS AND COMMITTEES HELD

1. Publicity Secretary, NNAD Kaduna 2. Secretary General, NNAD Kaduna. 3. Coordinator, NNAD North West Zone
4. Vice Chairman 1, JONAPWD Kaduna Branch
5. Current Chairman, JONAPWD Kaduna.
6. Secretary, Monitoring & Evaluation Committee of Kaduna State Association of the Deaf USAID/DDI Project.
7. Initiator/Member, Kaduna State Persons with disability Rights Bill Review committee.
8. Publisher, KAFANCHAN TIMES, a community based newspaper that focus in all spheres of human endeavours.

OUR PRAYER FOR A BETTER NNAD FOR ALL:

Nigeria is blessed with multitudes of intelligent and talented Deaf youths whose potentials are capable of turning things around for the benefit of generations. Since our country Nigeria through her people of which our community is a part and parcel, asked for CHANGE and this CHANGE has come to stay, so let it be in NNAD leadership. The only way to go about bringing this CHANGE is for you to give me your mandate to delivers!

Vote SHEMANG aka PENMAN for National President (NP).

                             Mr Shemang

CRPD Committee elections 2016: Deaf sign language user Valery Rukhledev elected

PRESS RELEASE
New York, 16 June 2016

CRPD Committee elections 2016: Deaf sign language user Valery Rukhledev elected

The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) is pleased for the election of a first ever deaf sign language user to the CRPD Committee. Dr Valery Rukhledev from the Russian Federation was elected during a vote held on the first day of the 9th Session of the Conference of States Parties in New York, USA. Mr Rukhledev is a former WFD Board member and currently also serves as the Director of the WFD Regional Secretariat in Eastern Europe and Middle Asia (EEMARS).

“These were the fifth CRPD Committee elections and now, finally, we have a deaf sign language user in the Committee”, stated WFD President Colin Allen.  “Prior to each election the WFD has been actively encouraging its members to lobby nationally for an individual using sign language”, he continued. “Now this hard work, in addition to some other factors, has borne fruit. I am also very glad that a person with intellectual disabilities, self-advocate Robert Martin from New Zealand was elected adding to the diversity of the Committee”, concluded President Allen.

One of the re-elected is Dr László Gábor Lovászy from Hungary, who in 2012 was the first hard of hearing to join the CRPD Committee. Dr Lovászy has a wide experience and knowledge in disability and human rights law and has established a good relationship with the Deaf Community during his first term.

Whilst warmly congratulating all nine elected Committee members and waiting for fruitful and close co-operation with them, the WFD is extremely concerned about the radical decrease in number of females on the Committee. Whereas the current Committee serving until the end of 2016 is composed of 6 females, the new will only have one woman, Ms Theresia Degener from Germany. “This is against the spirit of the CRPD Article 34 calling for balanced gender representation in the election of the members, and shows an alarming example to the whole world on how recommendations can easily be put aside”, adds Ms Kaisa Alanne, WFD Board member, who witnessed in person the election in New York. “I am stunned that at the 21st century when gender issues and parity are rightfully emphasised in official speeches we can still end up in this situation“, she affirmed.

Despite the disappointment in lack of female representation, the WFD once again congratulates all elected CRPD Committee members and looks forward to continuing good co-operation with them. The Committee is currently drafting its General Comment on Article 24 (Education), an issue of great importance and advocacy work for the WFD. 

Short interviews are available via the hyperlinks for Dr Rukhledev (https://vimeo.com/170939786) and Dr Lovászy (https://vimeo.com/171006664).

https://vimeo.com/171025838

Board Members

The newly inaugurated board members for the Kaduna State Rehabilitation Board on Friday 5th August 2016 at the Board Headquarter in Kaduna by His Excellency, Governor Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai.