Khadijat Yusuf
Abuja
The Disability Rights Act, enacted by the National Assembly in January 2019 during President Muhammadu Buhari's administration, is at the verge of taking it's full course as the Commission for Person's With Disabilities moves from enlightenment and advocacy stage to enforcement of the law.
The Federal Government through the National Commission for Person's With Disabilities under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation has reiterated its readiness to close down inaccessible public spaces as part of its move to uphold the rights of Persons with Disabilities, PWD.
While laying emphasizes that no individual or entity will be exempted from compliance, effective February 16, 2024,the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons With Disabilities, NCPWD, James David Lalu said the objective is to eliminate discrimination and ensure equal opportunities for all citizens, regardless of their physical or mental abilities.
He said, "the transition is from an era of advocacy to one of enforcement, with the commission set to mobilize in full force from January 16, 2024."
"A taskforce has been constituted, with preparations underway before the end of the current year. The commission, in collaboration with its partners, will conduct assessments covering not only physical facilities for easy PWD movement but also scrutinizing employment practices and staff composition," he said.
Lalu specified that the evaluation will encompass institutions' compliance with the 5% employment quota for PWDs. Two certificates, namely the Accessibility Compliance Certificate and the Disability Compliance Certificate, will be issued based on the assessments. These certificates, valid for five years, focus on facility accessibility and overall institutional compliance with the Disability Act provisions.
“Our assessment may not only end on the physical facilities, but the composition of the staff in these institutions.
“We want to know how many they have regarding persons with disabilities, the total number of staffs in these institutions and the maintenance of that 5 % in these institutions.
“So we have to find out all of these so that we’re able to no whether they complied with the law. When you look at the provisions of the regulation, there are two certificates that the commission is empowered to issue. The first certificate is about the accessibility compliance certificate.
“The compliance certificate will be issued to PWDs and once it is issued, it is expected to be valid for 5 years and after 5 years we will check again to know if these facilities are still working. If after 5 years they are working, we will re-issue.
“Also the disability compliance certificate is looking at the overall compliance of the institution to the provision, so the discrimination against persons with disabilities.
“If you comply with a disability, you will comply with the employment, environment, setting, capacity building, among others.” He said.
Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu urge stakeholders to collaborate for seamless Act compliance. She emphasized the collective responsibility of all Nigerians,
Edu also task state governments to domesticate the Act and establish commissions for grassroots impact.
Furthermore, Chairman of the House Committee on Disability, Honourable Bashiru Dawodu, advocated for the inclusion of people with disabilities in the National Health Insurance Authority, NHIA for comprehensive coverage.
Hon. Dawodu while emphazing that the national assembly is doing all it can to give person's with Disabilities a voice disclosed the implementation of sign language interpretation in the national assembly as well as an ongoing awareness campaigns in the 10th Assembly, with a commitment to collaboration with Civil Society Organizations, CSOs to address disability-related challenges.
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