By Loveth Asogwa,
The Executive Director of Inclusive Friends Association (IFA) and Convener of Access Nigeria Campaign has urged federal government to develop a PWD Emergency National Action Plan to respond to the needs of persons with disabilities (PWDs) during emergencies such as pandemics and beyond.
She advocated this during IFA and its allied Access Nigeria Campaign one-day stakeholders meeting on Monday 13th December, 2021 to commemorate the 2021 International Day of Persons with Disabilities with the theme: Leadership and participation towards an inclusive accessible and sustainable post covid-19 world.
The event supported by NDI, UKAID and USAID was designed to highlight the Impact of COVID-19 on persons with disabilities in Nigeria, and to encourage stakeholders to implement the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 for a more inclusive post COVID-19 era.
Grace Jerry in her speech said that it is worthy to celebrate the PWDs community on this day for their resilience, dedication, and continuous engagement with various government structures across the globe towards achieving an inclusive system that will ensure the rights of PWDs.
She called for the Executive and National assembly to ensure that the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities is fully funded in 2022 appropriation bill and other budgets in the years to come.
She also called on the Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), PWDs, other Nigerian citizens and the international community to support The National Commission for Persons with disabilities in implementing the policies that would help PWDs cope with COVID-19 pandemic.
Grace Jerry whose organization is well known for engaging Ministries and departments & agencies MDAs for the implementation of the National Disability Act (NDA), reminded the MDAs to be responsible in implementing the disability act by developing policies that will aid the implementation of the Disability Act.
Speaking further, she urged the government to develop a PWD emergency national action plan to respond to the needs of PWDs during the pandemic and beyond. Government and other relevant agencies should have an emergency preparedness plan before an outbreak particularly covering the needs of PWDs to avoid reactionary measures such as it occurred in the covid-19 pandemic situation.
“Let me appreciate our partners, National Democratic Institute NDI for their technical assistance, USAID and Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and all participants for coming” she concluded.
A seasoned consultant, Jide Ojo, Executive Director, OJA Development Consult who facilitated on leadership and participation of persons with disabilities for inclusive, accessible and sustainable post covid-19 world and the Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018, took the participants through what it takes for a PWD to participate in politics, the relevant laws that empowers the participation of PWDs in politics, and he also discussed the National Disability Act and the level of its implementation.
He also looked at in details what federal government has done so far through the relevant MDAs such as Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development and National Commission for Persons with disabilities towards the implementation of the National Disability Act.
His eloquent and highly informative presentation leads to two panel of discussion on how implementation of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 can create a more inclusive society for PWDs in Nigeria discussed by panelists such as PATIENCE OGOLO DICKSON, ESSIEN NSIKAN. S, EVAN UGOH IGNATIUS, TIMOTHY GABRIEL, IMABA EMMANUEL, the session was moderated by MIRIAM TIM TINAT and MDAs commitments and next steps in the implementation of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 which the Panelists were drawn from Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, National Assembly, Ministry Of Works, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Information, Ministry of Women Affairs, Refugee Commission, Ministry of Labour and Employment, National Emergency Management Agency and among others, it was moderated by Oluwaseyi Moses.
The event was further spiced up by Songs/poetry presentation and future ambition sharing by FCT school for the Blind children Abuja.
