Francesca Odimgbe
The Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), has observed lack of commitment by political parties and their candidate to address critical issues affecting People Living with Disabilities, PDWs, as no manifesto of candidates seeking electoral offices in 2023 has clear agenda for PWDs.
Executive Director of the CCD, David O. Anyaele, while speaking at the celebration of the 2022 International Day of Persons with Disabilities, said that less than 83 days for Nigerians to go to the Polls for the 2023 General Elections issues of critical importance to the disability community are missing in the manifestos of front line political parties.
This, Anyaele said is indicative that the in-coming government may struggle to prioritize inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities in government programs and activities as their operational documents do not indicate how citizens with disabilities would be part of the government.
He said People with disabilities and their families as well as concerned citizens are demanding from political parties’ candidates’ agenda for persons with disabilities, stating that “PWDs and their organisations must document disability related promises made by candidates in order to hold them to account for the general elections.”
Anyaele, raised serious concerns that though Section 2 of the Disability Act, provides that the Federal Ministry of Information shall make provisions for promotion of awareness regarding- (a) the rights, respect and dignity of persons with disabilities, (b) the capabilities, achievements and contributions of persons with disabilities to the society; but unfortunately this has not happened for four years after the passage of the Act.
According to him, Line Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal and States governments are doing little or nothing to ensure the full implementation of the disability law, adding “This is made obvious through the prioritization of disability issues in budgetary provisions by 16 Federal MDAs responsible for disability affairs in Nigeria. This is made worse in States with a disability commission with little or no resources for operations, turning them into institutions of begging.”
He however applauded some state governments that have adopted the Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 or passed disability laws in their respective States.
“The last time we checked the following States have a law that protects their citizens with disabilities: North Central (Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, and Plateau States), Northeast (Bauchi State), Northwest (Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto and Zamfara States), Southeast (Abia, and Anambra States), Southsouth (Cross River, and Edo States) and Southwest (Ekiti, Lagos, Ondo, and Oyo States). ”
He therefore called on Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Ogun, Osun, Katsina, Kebbi, Gombe, Rivers, Taraba, and Yobe States government to take appropriate measures to protect their citizens with disabilities without further delay through the adoption of the Disability Act.
