Reps pledge support for implementation of Disability Act

The Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt Hon Tajudeen Abass, has raised concerns over the implementation of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) Act in Nigeria.

Represented by the Deputy Speaker, Honourable Benjamin Kalu, at an occasion to commemorate the 2024 International Day of Persons with Disabilities by the UN Women-Supported Network of Women with Disabilities in collaboration with the National Assembly, which was held at the Library Conference Hall, National Assembly Complex, Abuja, the Speaker expressed sadness that only 19 states out of 36 have so far domesticated the Act since it was signed into law in 2019.

While calling on the states yet to adopt the Act to do the needful, saying PWDs face a high level of discrimination, the Speaker pledged the commitment of the 10th House of Representatives to ensure the provisions of the Act regarding education, employment, and the prohibition of discrimination are enforced.

“We are committed to ensuring that these provisions regarding healthcare, accessibility, education, employment, and the prohibition of discrimination are totally enforced. Moreover, we are ready to promote the representation of PWDs in decision-making bodies at all levels. Disability does not define the ability to lead, create, or inspire. Inclusion is both a necessity and justice,” the speaker stated.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohammed Malik Fall, who was represented by Nesreen Elmolla, UN Women Representative to Nigeria, assured of UN support for PWDs in Nigeria.

“The UN worldwide, and also in Nigeria, is guided by the principle of leaving no one behind. We’ll continue to invest in enhancing personal resilience and professional development, especially for women and girls who suffer the most because of intersectionality.”

In her earlier remarks, the founder and executive director of Cedar Seed Foundation (CSF), Lois Auta, said the theme of World Disability Day 2024, “Amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future,” highlights the urgent need for disability-inclusive policies and practice to ensure that no one is really left behind.

She also presented a memo on behalf of over 30 million citizens with disabilities to the Speaker and the Chairman of the Constitutional Review Committee asking for designated seats in the National Assembly for women and men with disabilities.

“We are here to state categorically in this era of Constitution Review that we want representatives from women with disabilities and persons with disabilities to be given a seat in the National Assembly, in the state Houses of Assembly. We are only asking for three seats, two for women with disabilities and one for men with disabilities,” she said.

It would be recalled that former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 signed into law the Disability Act, which prohibits all forms of discrimination against persons with disabilities.

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