National Commission For Persons With Disabilities (NCPWD) organized a roadwalk on Tuesday to create awareness on disability inclusion.
This is part of the activities of NCPWD to mark International Day for Persons With Disabilities (IDD 2023).
The Executive Secretary, National Commission For Persons With Disabilities (NCPWD), Mr. James Lalu while addressing the press said that the walk is to create awareness about the activities of the commission and what the commission will be doing at the expiration of transitory period of disability Act.
Speaking further, he said that there is no going back on the compliance of the Act because the Commission will stop at nothing to ensure full compliance and they will begin their push for compliance from the bigger offices.
We will seal up buildings that fails to comply by making their building accessible for PWDs.
He also said that the exercise is to let the public know that all machineries has been put in place to ensure compliance to disability law. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently signed African charter on the rights of persons with disabilities and we have Discrimination Against Persons With Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018, all provided that all buildings should be made available for persons with disabilities. So, government have made adequate arrangement and provide support to ensure full compliance to these laws.
The provisions of the law ascribed punishments to those who violates the law and the Commission will ensure that the penalities would be administered on the offenders. If it required paying of fine, we will ensure that organizations pay in full.
He informed that the commission through their Department Of Accessibility is already to partner with organizations to make their buildings accessible for persons with disabilities.
He also informed that the issue of compliance cut across all provisions of the Act.
Section 28 and 29 about right to work and 5% employment quota should be reserved for persons with disabilities. The Commission will ensure that all MDAs complies and even the private sector would be compiled to comply as well.
We have a lot of graduates with disabilities with no jobs and they are meant to take care of all themselves and their families.
The law would be going through a review at the National Assembly and a punishment would be attached to the 5% employment quota to compile MDAs, private sector and foreign embassies to implement that provision in the Act.
PWDs should be given opportunity through the 5% employment quota in all sectors of the economy to showcase their potentials.
Comrade Musa Muazu Musa, Secretary, National Association Of Persons With Physical Disabilities (NAPWPD) FCT Chapter while addressing the press appreciated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the appointment of a person with disability his special assistant on disability matters who shows his seriousness towards the implementation of the Act, but he urged the President to do more on the area of the appointment, considering PWDs as heads of agencies and board members.
He also said that as the five years transitory period will be ending by 17th January, 2024, it would be challenging because a lot of organizations are yet to remodel their buildings despite the efforts of the commission.
The walk brought together PWDs of different clusters, partners and media practitioners with the Executive Secretary, National Commission For Persons With Disabilities at the forefront of the walk distributing fliers with different inscriptions at motorists from The Commission’s office at Plateau House Central Area to Unity Foundation at Maitama, Abuja.
The celebration continues tomorrow with National Summit On Disability with a symposium, launch of different policies of the Commission and distribution of assistive devices and many more.
Some Action Pictures Of The Road walk
