• Insecurity escalates number of People living with Disability in Nigeria ― Gbajabiamila
By Kehinde Akintola
Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) on Tuesday threatened to institute legal action against some airline operators over unabated ill-treatment meted against passengers with disabilities.
The Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), Mr James Lalu issued the threat notice during an investigative hearing on the alleged violation of the discrimination against persons with disabilities (Prohibition Act) by the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and private airline operators, held at the instance of House Committee on Disabilities, chaired by Hon Princess Onuoha.
Mr Lalu who described the behaviour of the airline operators towards people with disabilities as completely disappointing accused them of breaching the provisions of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2019.
He said the commission has received so many complaints from the people with disabilities who have suffered for many years due to continued discrimination at the airports.
While noting that the right of people with disabilities is non-negotiable, Mr Lalu called for a review of the policies of the airline operators in order to put an end to discrimination.
While expressing the Commission’s readiness to provide disability services centres in the airports and train the staff of the airlines, FAAN and NCAA, Lalu solicited stakeholders’ support with a view to ensure persons with disabilities receive the maximum treatment everywhere they find themselves.
He said: “Today in Nigeria, we want to say clearly to everybody that enough is enough and discrimination against PWDs has come to a stop. We want to tell the airlines that are here that enough is enough. We try everything possible to address it through the administrative way, but once it gets out of hand, the Commission is ready to take any airline in the court, because the provision in the Act, does not take any rocket science for you to be able to read and understand. If you can provide the steps for people with their legs to climb at the airport, why must you not provide things for people with disabilities?
“We are here as a commission to defend this right. Therefore when we receive some of these complaints, we try to look into these policies that most of these airlines continue to site. The policies remain worrisome to us. The existing legislation on discrimination already criminalizes any form of discrimination towards persons with disability in totality. Reviewing these policies with a focus to comply with the discrimination against PWDs Prohibition Act.”
However, in his response to the allegation, Dana Air, Head of Operations, Mr Emem Ette who denied the allegations, argued that the company is customer-friendly and also provides wheelchair, third party agents to attend to people with disabilities.
Speaking on allegations that the airline requests for extra passengers to accompany anyone with a disability before they are allowed to board the flight, Mr Ette argued that the scenario only applies to certain cases.
“It is not every case that we will say we need you to come with an attendant. We had a case of someone with a spinal cord injury, we are not trained on how to handle spinal cord injury, in such cases we say look if you have somebody that understands something you are going through while you’re on board.
“First of all Dana air accepts what we refer to as people with reduced mobility, we don’t see anybody as disabled. We have been accepting them right from the inception of this company. Contrary to what one of the Speakers said, we accept wheelchair passengers.
“The only wheel chair we don’t accept are the ones that have batteries. Dana Air is not approved by NCA to carry dangerous goods, so if you have a wheelchair that has batteries that are seen as dangerous goods, we will not accept it because it contravenes the approval of NCA.
“For example pregnant women at a certain stage of the pregnancy we will not accept you. They can say we are discriminating against them, but we are not, we are checking your safety and that of your child. We’ve made submissions to the House and we have records to show that we had and still have people with disabilities on our flights. We feel your pain. We don’t discriminate against you. Dana is not the villain, Dana is your friend.
In his keynote address, the Speaker, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila observed that the current security challenges bedevilling the country such as insurgency, banditry, secessionism, kidnappings, farmers and herders clashes have further escalated the number of persons living with disabilities in Nigeria.
While noting that the estimate of persons with disabilities in the country remains unclear, Hon Gbajabiamila who was represented by Hon Serguis Ogun harped on the need to ensure that justice and dignity of persons with disabilities are restored and protected.
On her part, Hon Princess Onuoha who frowned at the absence of the majority of the airline operators at the hearing, despite being notified, said: “The general public is aware of the provisions of the discrimination against persons with disabilities prohibition Act.
“Part of the requirements that government public places should provide access for persons with disability and mandatory and compulsory inclusion of not less than five per cent by organizations and agencies in a way of employment and appointments and other related palliatives.
“We assure that the rights of persons with disabilities and other vulnerable persons as within our mandate will be protected,” she noted.
Some clips of Investigative hearing at House Representatives
