DISABILITIES ACT: GROUP RAISES FIVE (5) FOCAL POINTS, TO SEE TO ITS IMPLEMENTATION

By: Valentine Adese (JP) and Alfred Saiki,

Although, the passage into Law of the Disabilities Act has been commended and the National Assembly (NASS) and the President/Presidency, praised for giving their approval and ascent to it respectively, a group made up of reputable organizations, experts and concerned Nigerians, who are key actors working on disability issues in Nigeria, have assembled themselves in Abuja, to see that the Act is implemented and that the benefits and goals are achieved.

The group under the aegis of #Disabilities Act NG, after a strategy session on the Disability Act (Prohibition) Act, 2018, in Abuja, where they brought their expertise and experience around the table, as they engaged in a fruitful, constructive and open exchanges of thoughts and ideas throughout the session last week, came out with some suggestible way forward, for the Disabilities Act to be effectively implemented and the goals and benefits achieved.

The Group #Disabilities Act NG has giving to itself, the task to advocating for the effective implementation of the Act. It has also prioritized as part of its advocacy, Five (5) Focal Points as follows:-

1. Advocacy to Gazette the Law.
2. Creating awareness about the existence of the Act/prohibitions
3. Advocacy for the establishment of the Commission
4. Making budgetary allocation in the 2019 Budget
5. Advocacy to State Government to develop a mechanism for the implementation of the Act in their respective States

REALITY gathered that the group hopes to carry out its mission, through media platform engagements, Town hall meetings, engagement with the Federal and State Governments, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the Social Media Platforms.

You would recall that the Disabilities (Prohibition) Ac, 2018, provides for the full intergaration of persons with disabilities into the society and establishes the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (PWD) and vest the Commission with the responsibilities for their education, healthcare, social, economic and civil rights.

The Act also provides that in the next 5 years:-

1. Public buildings shall be constructed with necessary accessibility aids, such as, lifts (where necessary) and any other facility that shall make them accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities.
2. That every public vehicle shall have functional audible and visible display of their destination.
3. That Transport service providers shall make provision for lifts, ramps and other accessibility aids to enhance the accessibility of their vehicles, parks and bus stops to person with disabilities including those in wheel chairs.
4. That at Public parking lots, suitable spaces shall be properly marked and reserved for persons with disabilities.
5. That a person with mental disability shall be entitled to free medical and healthcare services in all public institutions (Hospitals) and,
6. That all employees of labour in public organization shall, as much as possible, have persons with disabilities constituting at least 5% of their employment, among others.

culled from Reality Newspaper