Stakeholders drawn from aviation, other relevant MDAs and Organization of Persons With Disabilities came together to validate a report of findings from the draft Assessment Report on Accessible Airports for Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria.
Coalition of Disability Organizations (CODO) in partnership with the Centre for Citizens With Disabilities (CCD), Hope Alive Possibilities Initiative and Spinal Cord Injury Association of Nigeria (SCIAN) on Tuesday in Abuja with the support of Disability Rights Fund (DRF) organized a One Day stakeholders meeting to validate the findings of the assessment report on access to airports for persons with disabilities in Nigeria.
The Convener of CODO and the Executive Director of CCD, Mr. David Obinna Anyaele in his opening speech said that the event is to present to the Stakeholders the findings from the research they carried out to ascertain how persons with disabilities have been accessing the airports in Nigeria in view of enhancing a better access to airports.
Speaking further, he said that the report would serve as a guide for airlines, FAAN, Ministry of Aviation, National Commission for Persons With Disabilities and other relevant stakeholders to understand what is expected of them in implementing the sections of the Discrimination against Persons With Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 on access to airline transportation.
He also said that the findings is important because the right of persons with disabilities have been violated at the airports across the country and it continued to be violated.
Abdulwahab Matepo , the acting President of SCIAN, in his speech said that the report would provide further advance access to airports by persons with disabilities.
He said that it is a work in progress and with the report when it is fully validated and presented, the findings would enrich advocacy and implementation of the law.
The Airport Manager, FAAN, Abuja Airport, Mahmud Sani in his remark said that FAAN is already working to galvanize all other relevant authorities working on aviation, the airlines operators and others to see a way to implement Disability Rights Act to enhance inclusion of Persons with Disabilities.
He also said that FAAN is already working with Centre for Ability Rehabilitation and Empowerment CARE to create a Disability desk office in Abuja airport and they have designated parking lots for persons with disabilities.
He urged the CODO to ensure that when the report is ready, they should come and present it to FAAN to assist them in the implemention of Disability Rights Act.
The Director, Social and Gender Statistics Department) National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Adebayo Tunde Adebisi, said that NBS have resolved to include the population of persons with disabilities in the National Census.
He advised that when the report is fully ready, the coalition should make effort to circulate to the relevant stakeholders for adoption to enhance implementation.
The founder and CEO of The Albino Foundation, TAF Jake Epelle applauded the report and advised that a Committee should be set up to engage all the relevant authorities to ensure implementation.
The report was presented by the lead researcher, Prof. Omololu Soyombo, and participants were able to make some few input( details of report will be published when work have been concluded on the report and it is made open for the media).
The project on Enhancing Access to Airports for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs)’s goal is to remove all barriers that prevent PWDs from accessing airport services on an equal basis with others. Part of the activities of this project is the assessment of access to airports for persons with disabilities in Nigeria with focus on Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Gombe, Kano, Lagos, and Plateau States as well as Abuja FCT.
The Coalition of Disability Organizations is a network of disability focused organizations in Nigeria founded in 2009 that works to promote inclusive society, free from discrimination on the basis of disability. CODO was instrumental in the campaign for the passage of the Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018.
TQM rearnt that the coalition take a step forward when the work is concluded on the report to engage all the authorities in-charge of aviation industry to ensure that the recommendation articulated on the report are implemented.
