Discrimination against persons with disabilities may impede realisation of SDGs in Nigeria

[From BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia]

Disabled persons’ community in Nigeria has expressed concerns that continued discrimination and marginalization of 31 million of Nigerians with disabilities may impede the realization of the 17 Social Development Goals (SDGs) in Nigeria.

Mouthpiece of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in Nigeria, Centre for Citizens for Disabilities (CCD) which raised the concerns as the world marks the 2021 International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) Friday, saying that years after the Disability Rights Act came into force in the country, little has been done to implement it.

The group also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the amended electoral bill into law to pave the way for free participation of PWDs in Nigeria’s political processes.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) is celebrated every December 3. It is a day set aside by the United Nations to promote a better understanding of disability issues with a focus on the rights of persons with disabilities and gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of the political, social, economic and cultural life of their communities.  

The theme for the 2021 IDPD is “Leadership and Participation of persons with disabilities toward an inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-COVID-19 world.”  

Executive Director of CCD, Mr. David Anyaele, said in a statement Friday, noted that the 2021 IDPD theme focuses on the empowerment of persons with disabilities for inclusive, equitable and sustainable development as envisaged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which pledges to ‘leave no one behind’ and recognizes disability as a cross-cutting issues, to be considered in the implementation of its 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Anyaele is worried that rather than integrate people with disabilities, governments at all levels were still excluding the PWDs from public programmes and policies, against the provisions of the Disability Rights Act and President Buhari’s directive to Ministries, Departments and Agencies to pay special attention to PWDs.

“Acknowledging that Nigeria has signed the United Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities including its optional protocols, we state that SDGs will not be achieved if state and none state actors continue to discriminate, isolate and marginalize over 31 million Nigerians with disabilities in planning and implementation of the SDGs in Nigeria,” Anyaele said.

He stressed that this year’s event was important to CCD members as it was the third time they were celebrating the IDPD since the passage and assent by the President of the Disability Rights Act designed to protect more than 31 million citizens with disabilities.

 “We are marking this day at a time Nigerians are awaiting the assent of the President on a Bill for an Act To Repeal The Electoral Act No. 6, 2010 And Enact The Electoral Act 2021, To Regulate The Conduct Of Federal, State And Area Councils In The Federal Capital Territory Elections; And For Related Matters. The Bill provides for the removal of barrier that hinders citizens with disabilities from participating in the electoral process on equal basis with others. We call on President Mohammadu Buhari to sign into an Act, the Electoral Bill without further delay in order to open space for necessary actions towards 2023 General Elections,” the CCD boss said.

Anyaele expressed worry that 36 months after the passage of the Disability Rights Act, only 13 States have demonstrated measures to adopt the Act.  

He named the states to include Lagos, Anambra, Ekiti, Ondo, Plateau, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Kogi, Niger, Kwara, and Niger States.

 While commending these states, CCD called on other State governments yet to adopt the National Disability Rights Act to do so without further delay.

 The group said it was equally worried that many States across the federation were struggling to budget for the integration and rehabilitation of citizens with disabilities, adding that even when they are budgeted, persons with disabilities hardly benefit from such provision.  

“However, we commend States like Lagos State, Plateau, Ondo and Anambra States which have taken measures to not only pass Disability bill, but have taken steps to create offices for disability affairs in their various States,” Anyaele said.

CCD noted that failure by states to adopt the Disability Rights Act means “an indirect endorsement of discrimination and other harmful practices against their citizens with disabilities.”  

The statement reads in part: “It is important for State governments to make inclusion and participation of citizens with disabilities in governance and development programmes a priority, as it is very expensive and difficult to live with disability without government support.

“We are concerned that 34 months after the passage of the Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018, citizens with disabilities are still left behind due to non-implementation of the Act by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). This is evidenced by the non-provision of necessary measures to enhance access to buildings of these MDAs, and inclusion of citizens with disabilities in their programmes and activities.

“We are worried that more that 18 months that President Mohammadu Buhari gave directives to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies; and all relevant Government agencies, to pay special attention to the peculiarities of persons with disabilities in the formulation and implementation of their policies and programmes, and where suitable, their employment.

 “We call on heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies to operationalized these directives by the President to ensure the full implementation of the Disability Rights Act.”

CCD commended the National Assembly, in particular, the House of Representatives, for establishing an ad-hoc Committee on Disability Affair with Hon. Miriam Onuoha, as its Chairperson.  

“We are calling on the Senate and States House of Assemblies to borrow a leaf from the House of Representatives by establishing similar ad-hoc Disability Committees on disability affairs to ensure that issues of persons with disabilities are given priority at State and Federal level,” the Statement added.

CCD expressed appreciation to the media “and specifically your organization,” for their continued support to the efforts of the disability community towards increasing the voice of the voiceless (Nigerians with disabilities) in the society through inclusive reportage.

They urged organisations of, and for persons with disabilities not to relent in their efforts in creating and promoting awareness on the disability issues at local, state and federal levels to enhance public understanding.