By Mohamed Alieu Bah (A BAH)
malieubah2016@gmail.com
The Chairman of the Nigeria Association of the Blind, Mr. Ekujereonye Bede Obinna has in Abuja on behalf of all persons with disabilities pleaded to the Federal Government of Nigeria to look into the lack of infrastructural accessibility to persons with disabilities.
Mr. Obinna made this plea during a courtesy call to the Director of Development Control. He noted that, in Nigeria persons living with disabilities are faced with different kinds of discriminations and exclusion; he said, key amongst such challenges is inaccessible public infrastructure.
Mr. Obinna furthered that, the Nigeria Association of the Blind (NAB) FCT Chapter conducted a research with the help of DRF to examine the level of access to public infrastructure for persons with disabilities in the FCT such as schools, transportation, government ministries, departments and agencies. Maintaining that “without accessible public infrastructure, persons with disabilities are more likely to be excluded from employment opportunities, education, and healthcare facilities and to make social contact that will improve their lives.” He retorted
Mr. Obinna continued that, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and its Optional Protocol, signed in May 2007, recognizes that barriers to indoor and outdoor facilities should be removed to ensure equal access for all members of society; including people with disabilities. The CRPD he said, provides a catalyst for international agencies and national governments including Nigeria to improve the quality of public service provision for people with disabilities.
He noted that, their research is hinged on article 9 of the CRPD which states that in order “to enable persons with disabilities live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life, state parties shall appropriate measures to ensure that persons with disabilities are on an equal basis with others, the physical environment, to transportation, to information and communications technologies and systems and other facilities and services open or provided to the public both in urban and in rural areas”. He maintained.
While handing their report and recommendations to the Director General of the Department of Development Control, Mr. Obinna pleaded that, given the Department of Development Control is charged with the responsibility of approving building permits for both public and private structures, the DG and his team should help to get redress to their challenges.
In his response after receiving the report and recommendations, the Director General of the Department of Development Control, Mr. Muchtar Galadima; first and foremost ushered words of encouragement to the visiting team of persons with disabilities; he noted that, the condition (disability) in which they find themselves is never wished by anyone of them and that it’s the will of the most high (God), noting that “as a responsible government, we made provisions in our development control manual with regards to physically challenged persons. Your coming to our office has rather embolden and challenged us to seek the interest of persons with disabilities in the development manual control”. He maintained.
The DG said that, recently in some districts of the city of Abuja, they went round to recover the pedestrian walk ways of the persons with disabilities because people hiding under the fear of Boko Haram were trying to block some of these walk ways and that some people have taken it as part of their plots which they have recently recovered particularly in the areas of Wuse 2 and Maitama respectively. He said, they are not done yet, they are still on course.
He later requested to the visiting team of persons with disabilities to appoint two persons who his office will work with in reviewing the Development Control Manual. Noting that ” I want you to tell us precisely and concisely what you want to be included in to the manual. I am immediately directing my officer handling the Development Control Manual to go through your documents (report and recommendations) and see how we can accommodate it into the Building Approval Process” he promised.
The DG said, some of the public buildings in the course of monitoring the city, they will reinvestigate and see whether they have the provisions for the physically challenged persons and that if they don’t, they will direct them to do so because they want everyone to be part of the city “we want to make Abuja, inclusive for all strata of the society”
The DG concluded by expressing his profound gratitude to the visiting team of persons with disabilities and asked that to always reach out when the need arises.
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