Visually-impaired Nigerians threaten nationwide protest over financial inclusion

The Nigerian Association of the Blind has threatened to embark on a nationwide protest over the inability of members to independently access financial services across the country.

The association noted that its members do face various degrees of discrimination whenever they approach banks to get access to financial services both physically and virtually, urging the banks to create a disability desk in branches to attend specifically to the needs of persons with disabilities.
Addressing journalists at a press conference, the National President of the association, Ishayaku Adamu, while condemning the discrimination, said: “We don’t have ATMs with speech, access to loans and other benefits enjoyed by other people.”

Adamu recalled that the country’s Bankers’ Committee 2012 adopted nine principles meant to promote financial inclusion and women’s economic empowerment and to integrate environmental and social considerations into all bank decision making but accused banks of not implementing these principles which would have guaranteed the financial inclusion of people with disabilities.

He specifically stated that executives of the association were yet to get feedback from the letter dated January 28 addressed to all commercial banks in the country and the CBN.

Adamu further gave the CBN and other relevant authorities a week ultimatum to address the injustice against visually impaired Nigerians, failure of which the association would mobilise members across the country to take to the streets to press home their demands.

“We have made several efforts but all to no avail. We wrote on January 28, 2022, to all banks and the CBN, but we are yet to get a response.

“We are, however, giving them one week after which we would mobilise the over 25 million Nigerians with disabilities for a nationwide protest against this injustice,” Adamu said.

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Visually-impaired Nigerians threaten nationwide protest over financial inclusion

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Visually-impaired Nigerians threaten nationwide protest over financial inclusion