By Deji Elumoye and Juliet Akoje in Abuja
The Senate yesterday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to provide a five-year post COVID-19 special intervention programme for Nigerians living with various types of disabilities.
This was just as it urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), through the NIRSAL Micro Finance Bank, to provide Special Loan facilities to Persons with Disabilities through the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities.
The upper legislative chamber also called on security agencies to retain and convert personnel who became disabled in the course of discharging their duties than retiring them.
In addition, it also urged the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) and Boards of Parastatals to give special consideration to Persons with Disability during the recruitment exercise to give effect to the Legislative intent of the Discrimination against Persons with Disability (Prohibition Act, 2018).
These formed part of the resolutions reached after the upper chamber considered a motion titled, “Urgent need to provide Special Presidential Interventions for the persons living with disabilities in Nigeria.”
Sponsor of the motion, Senator Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf (APC, Taraba Central), in his presentation, commended President Buhari for signing into law, the Discrimination against Persons with Disability (Prohibition) Act, 2018, and further establishing the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities as a fulfillment of one of his campaign promises.
He, however, expressed concern that according to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2018, about 29 million of the 195 million people who comprise the Nigerian National population were people with disabilities. According to him, “recent reality on the activities of insurgency, banditry, indiscriminate mining activities and pollutions from the explorations of hydrocarbon resources (Oil Spills) are particularly causing children to be home with deformities in the Niger-Delta region.”
He added: “The recurrent accidents recorded on our roads and other related social ills have made Nigeria witness a surge in the communities of people with disabilities and they are gradually becoming a strong political constituency who in the nearest future can determine the future leadership of Nigeria.
Accordingly, the Senate in its resolutions urged President Buhari to provide a five-year post-COVID-19 special intervention programme in areas of: Mass distribution of Assistive devices to include wheelchairs, prosthesis and orthotics, hearing aids, crutches, Braille machines, special computers, skin protector, among others.
The upper chamber posited that doing so would provide access to education; independent living for disabled Nigerians; and facilitate effective inclusion and participation in development activities.
In addition, the Senate called on the Federal Government to undertake the design and construction of accessibility facilities in all Federal Government institutions, city roads, pedestrian walkways and public facilities, including airports, railway stations, motor parks, schools, universities, etc.
It also demanded the revitalisation of all rehabilitation facilities and special schools in the six geo-political zones across the country.
While urging all Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) to provide at least 10% of their projects and programes for persons with disabilities through the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities; the chamber called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), through the NIRSAL Micro Finance Bank, to provide Special Loan facilities to Persons with Disabilities through the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities.
It also urged the security agencies to ensure that in an event where personnel in the course of discharging their official assignment become disabled, the security agency should retain and convert the affected personnel to a less demanding task than retiring them. While the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities shall provide the affected personnel with the assistive device; and
the Chamber tasked the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities under the supervision of the Ministry for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to implement the Senate resolutions.
