•Commences enforcement January
The Federal Government has threatened to shut down all public and private buildings that violate the accessibility law on the movement of persons with disabilities, which will be effective from January 16, 2024.
•Edu (2nd left) with others at the conference
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, made this known during the end-of-year press conference organised by the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) in Abuja. She said: “Every building must comply. Why should we punish and exclude persons with disabilities? Most buildings don’t have a ramp that allows people on wheel chairs to access their work places easily. We must support them to do more for Nigeria.
“To demonstrate the resolve of the government to ensure that Nigeria continues to rank among nations with a strong commitment to the total inclusion of PWDs, President Bola Tinubu has signed the Protocol to the African Charter on Rights of Persons with Disabilities
“The full implementation and enforcement of the Disability Act is a collective responsibility of all Nigerians. It is not what the Federal Government can do alone. Other levels of government (states and local) also need to domesticate and implement the Act.
“NCPWD will be supported to develop and administer a robust national monitoring mechanism to measure compliance. The commission will also be supported to develop citizens’ feedback mechanism to allow PWDs and other members of the public to provide feedback to the government on their concerns with the implementation of the Disability Act.
“The era of all forms of discrimination against, negative social and cultural perception of, and attitudes towards persons with disabilities is over. It is indeed an era of renewed hope for the over 35.5 million persons with disabilities to become assets and contributors to our national development and never again to be seen as liabilities in our society”
Executive Secretary, NCPWD Commission, Dr. James Lalu, lamented discrimination against PWDs. He, however, commended government for the initiation and implementation of pro-PWD policies and programmes.
He expressed delight that the present administration has given a flip to the disability law passed five years ago but never implemented or domesticated: “The era of enforcement is here. By January, the commission is expected to move out in full force to make sure that the provisions of the law are properly enforced.”
Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Disabilities, Bashir Dauda, said the Disability Act is the right of PWDs: “The act addresses all sectors of life of persons with disability, from access to education to health, to employment. It is the law of Nigeria that if we discriminate against a person with a disability, there are sanctions.”
In attendance were the Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein and some development partners.