Mary Ekah
There is a high rate of concerns that with the way people living with disabilities are excluded from federal government’s programmes, they may be rendered paupers in no time. Such condition, many believe forces majority of people with various forms of disabilities into begging in the long run.
The worries are worsened by the fact that the Federal Government hardly mentions the inclusion and participation of Nigerians with disabilities in its recent plans of alleviating poverty amongst the less-privileged in Nigeria, considering the fact that persons with disabilities are one of those in the society that were supposed to be considered first as beneficiaries of government’s programmes for the needy.
Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) is concerned that the absence of legal framework to protect People with Disabilities (PWDs) from exclusion and discrimination is a huge barrier that may hinder them from benefiting from various plans by government for its citizens.
Speaking during a press briefing recently in Lagos, on the state of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Nigeria, the Executive Director, Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), Mr. David Anyaele, said his organisation has taken it as a major responsibility to task the Federal Government on the urgent need to recognise its constitutional obligations for the welfare and protection of Nigerians with disabilities from exclusion and marginalisation in the development of the country by reason of their disabilities.
He is therefore calling on the FG to cater for the needs of PWDs in national development by including PWDs in the planning and implementation of the infrastructural projects, in that they are designed in such a way that citizens with different forms of disabilities will benefit from it.
Anyaele is mostly worried by the fact that in the Federal Government’s revitalisation of Primary Healthcare Centres project in Nigeria, PWDs were not mentioned as the key beneficiaries of the project. He lamented that this may mean that PWDs are not expected to benefit from this programme.
He therefore called on the Federal Government to include PWDs of all ages as key beneficiaries and stop the institutional discrimination, stigma and isolation of citizens with disabilities in all scheme of things. He stressed further that only the passage of the Disability Bill that will guarantee citizens with disabilities are not left behind in government programmes.
He noted that in line with CCD’s mandate, the centre has continued to encourage and support the government at the federal and state levels through generation of evidence that supports its call for prohibition of all forms of discrimination, exclusion, isolation and other harmful practices against citizens with disabilities in Nigeria.
Anyaele revealed further that in the recent past, CCD has conducted a survey on access to public infrastructures among persons with disabilities in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in six states Benue, Enugu, Gombe, Kaduna, Lagos and Rivers as well as the Abuja. The findings, he said showed that more than 95 per cent of public infrastructures in the Nigeria are not accessible to PWDs.
He explained further that the goal of the project was to ensure that persons with disabilities are able to access MDAs infrastructures as highlighted in the policy on rehabilitation of persons with disabilities on an equal basis with other citizens.
“The MDAs surveyed are among government institutions identified by the National Policy for the Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria. The survey highlights the inaccessible condition of public infrastructures that are critical for the rehabilitation of citizens with disabilities in Nigeria,” he noted.
Revealing further the numerous challenges faced by PWDs and his centre’s efforts to eliminate such, he said, “We have also conducted a survey on access to justice for persons with disabilities in Lagos State. The purpose of the survey is to ensure that justice systems are established that are inclusive of men, women and children with disabilities. This effort stems from our concern that the passage of the disability law enhances access to justice for PWDs in Lagos State so that they can benefit from the provisions of the law. Findings from the three Local Government Areas surveyed (Surulere, Amuwo Odofin and Ikorodu) showed that access to justice is limited to citizens with disabilities due to lack of accommodation.”
Beyond these, CCD has also carried an audit of political participation of PWDs for Edo and Ondo States gubernatorial elections. The project, Anyaele said afforded the centre the opportunity to recruit and train persons with disabilities from all the 18 LGAs of the two states as election observers.
“The aim was to ensure inclusiveness in Nigeria’s political and electoral processes by assessing the barriers faced by PWDs on election day and making recommendations to address identified challenges for increased PWD participation in elections,” Anyaele said, noting however that CCDs’ observations showed that PWDs struggles much more than persons without disabilities to participate in the political and electoral process in Nigeria.
In all these surveys and finding, CCD has made different recommendations that will assist the states in taking appropriate measures to close the gaps identified to ensure PWDs are not excluded in democratic governance.
To this end, recommendations that require amendment of the constitution and passage of Disability Bill as well as amendment of the Election Act 2015 as amended, has been shared with the National Assembly (NASS) line committees for necessary action.
