By Lanre Oloyede
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, has frowned at the problem of lack of accessibility being faced by Persons With Disabilities in Nigeria saying it is one of the major impediments to Inclusivity and equal rights.
The Presidential aide stated this Monday at a media parley organized by the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Disabilty, Hon. Bashir Dawodu, to mark World Children Day, focusing on Children with Disabilities and the Disability Act 2018.
Hon. Abba Isa, who lamented the suffering faces by PWDs in accessing public buildings warned that he would no longer take kindly any attempt by any individual or institutions to violate the rights of PWDs by denying them access to public buildings or opportunities.
He said: “If PWDs are denied access to attend programs like this, there’s no way we can achieve desired result. One of the impediments of PWDs is gaining access to buildings. If PWDs are continued to be denied access, I will not take it likely.
“I know that under your leadership, you have passion for PWDs and that is why you organized parley like this. At the end of this parley we are going to come out with a communique, which we will use as a policy document for further implementation.
“If you look at the Discrimination Against Person With Disabilities Act, “Every child, Every right” means every child has to enjoy equal rights like any other child.”
In his address, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Disability, Hon. Bashir Dawodu, pledged the commitment of the Committee to the full enforcement of Persons with Disability Act.
Dawodu also said efforts are ongoing to re-enact the Act as there is a huge lacuna in it that amendments alone will not address all the challenges.
He said the Committee interacts with the conditions of PWD and that inputs of stakeholders will be collated at the public hearing for the amendment.
Dawodu also said the Child’s Right Act needs to be amended to include the concerns raised by the PWD community.
Also Speaking, Barr Yusuf Iyodo, the Special Assistant to the SSA to the President, said that law and its implementation is the fulcrum for rights protection.
Barr. Iyodo who is a legal practitioner said that he had observed that in all the laws in the country, the right of children with disabilities is not well spelt out.
He said that the African Union Charter on Persons With Disabilities come with elaborate provisions but the Nigerian Child Right Act, which is a product came with limitations.
“In section 16 of the Child’s Right Act, it talks about special measures for special children or children with special needs. But it comes down to say, whatever provision that will be made for them would be subject to availability of funds.
“That limitations is a big problem for us, we need to visit that provision particularly the sub-section 2, we need to remove that limitation on funding. This is Nigeria, there are resources to go round, if other children can be catered for, child with disabilities or special needs should also be catered for,” he said.
END XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
