People with disabilities

The Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities, JONAPWD,  has called for an urgent meeting of both floors of the National Assembly so as to properly guide the Presidency in the composition of the Nigerian Persons With Disabilities Commission so as to have a commission that would serve its true purpose and make the Nigerians with Disabilities embrace the Commission and provide a platform where their issues can be addressed appropriately.

In a lengthy document submitted to the Office of the Senate President, Senator Ahmed Lawan as well as the Speaker House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila with the subject,  RE: COVID-19 Request for Emergency Meetings of Bipartisan Senate and House of Representatives Official Legislative meeting on Establishment of an Independent Implementation Commission for the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 (Nigerians with Disability Act (NDA)) Under the CRPD-SDGs”, JONAPWD gave a chronicle of the laborious effort its successive leaders had employed to get the bill passed as well as how the act for the establishment of the Commission was assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari on 17th January 2019.

Also read: ‘Only transparent enhancement of 31 million disabled Nigerians can guarantee sustainable development goals’

The document which was signed by Co-Founder of JONAPWD, Miss  Omotunde Ellen Thompson (FRM),  therefore warned that the failure of the Federal Government to announce the membership of the Commission so that the work can commence six months after the Presidential assent on the Act was worrisome and suggestive that the legislative arm of government would save the day by calling a meeting of both floors of the Assembly with major stakeholders that would discuss seven identified areas that were laid out in the letter so that the Federal Government would be properly guided to set up the Commission that would be all-embracing.

I the document, JONAPWD appealed to the National Assembly Leadership to  “note that because we have valid reasons to be very angry, in regards of ill-treatment of Nigerians with Disabilities since 1914 amalgamation of Nigeria to present day, the following are important serious constitutional issues, which we humbly and respectfully request from its Disability-Inclusive round table discussions to be led and moderated by Barr. Abdulsalam Idowu Kamaldeen, who is the Legislative Aide to the Speaker of the House of Representatives on Disability Matters, during the Disability Legislative meetings under the UN CRPD Article 4.3.

” Disability-Inclusive and Accessible Implementations of all issues raised during the 7th April 2020, National Assembly, meeting with the Honorable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Developments

“Lawan and Gbajabiamila made it abundantly clear that the Social Investment Programme which was established in 2016 under the Presidency but which is now under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs needed reform to make it more efficient and effective

“The Social Investment Programme which was established in 2016 under the Presidency,” till this ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic Palliative, none of us, 4 members of the JONAPWD Board of Trustees, has been contacted for a meeting by the previous handlers and present Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, in violations of the UN CRPD Article 4.”. the body regretted.

Another area that JONAPWD suggested that the meeting should iron out is to, “Discuss valid and arguable reasons for the establishments of respective Senate and House of Representatives Disability Committees.

Thirdly, the body insisted that with the opportunity given by the gathering of stakeholders, it would be an avenue to, “Discus valid and arguable reasons for the Establishment of a Joint Senate and House of Representatives Disability committee.

Similarly, in the opinion of the body, such a meeting would also seize the forum to “Discuss urgent inclusion of Barr. Abdulsalam Idowu Kamaldeen, SSA to the Speaker of the House of Representatives on Disability Matters, during all kinds of legislative deliberations of issues of concerns for Nigerians with Disabilities; Almajiris, Internally Displaced Persons (IDP), etc…

in a way to appreciate the decision of the Speaker House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila for appointing one of them as a legislative aide, they suggested that the meeting would also avail them the opportunity to impress it upon the Senate President  Senator Ahmed Lawan, “to join the Hon. Speaker in also, appointing SSA on Disability Matters.

On the agenda of jonapwd for the meeting was a call for the “Implementations of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, (Nigerians with Disabilities Act (NDA)), especially its Part VII, ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, clearly mandated on; “Section 31. (1), There is established the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (in this Act referred to as “the commission” to be placed under the Presidency.”

Lastly and most importantly, the meeting would be an avenue to iron out, “who is actually in charge of Implementing the, Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, (Nigerians with Disabilities Act (NDA)), which, mandated in section, “32 (1) There is to establish a Governing Council for the Commission (in this Act referred to as the “the Council” which shall conduct the affairs of the commission;”  Sub-section, “(2) The Council shall consist of: (a) A part time Chairman; (b) One persons with Disability from each geographical zone; (c) a representative each from Federal Ministry of; (i) Education, (ii) Health; (iii) Sports; (iv) Women Affairs; (v) Housing; (vi) Transport; (vii) Environment; (viii) Labour and Productivity; (ix) Justice; and (d) a representative each from the National Human Rights Commission and Planning Commission;” AND section, “(3) The Chairman of the Council and one representative each from the 6 geo-political zones, shall be appointed by the President subject to confirmation by the Senate.”

“I, Miss Omotunde Ellen Thompson, as the former First Disability Desk Officer at the Presidency’s Head of the Civil Services of the Federations, is fully aware that the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and the Civil Service Commission, is in charge of employing and transferring Federal Civil Servants from one Federal Ministry to another. I, therefore, wonder the reasons for the disparity in enforcing the same Federal law or Constitution or rules and regulations.

“When will the 9th Assembly start the process of finishing up the excellent Disability-Inclusive and accessible jobs which the 8th Assembly Started by finishing up the implementations of the, Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, (Nigerians with Disabilities Act (NDA)), especially its Part VII, ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR PERSONS WITHDISABILITIES, clearly mandated on; “Section 31 (1); and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), “ÏÏts, Article 4 – General obligations, especially, 4.3 (“In the development and implementation of legislation and policies to implement the present Convention, and in other decision-making processes concerning issues relating to persons with disabilities, States Parties shall closely consult with and actively involve persons with disabilities, including children with disabilities, through their representative organizations”); Article 5 – Equality and non-discrimination; Article 8 – Awareness-raising; Article 9 – Accessibility; Article 11 – Situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies; Article 12 – Equal recognition before the law; Article 13 – Access to justice; Article 14 – Liberty and security of person; Article 15 – Freedom of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; Article 16 – Freedom from exploitation, violence and abuse; Article 21 – Freedom of expression and opinion, and access to information; Article 24 – Education; Article 25 – Health; Article 26 – Habilitation and rehabilitation; Article 27 – Work and employment; Article 28 – Adequate standard of living and social protection; Article 29 – Participation in political and public life; Article 31 – Statistics and data collection; Article 32 – International cooperation; Article 33 – National implementation and monitoring; AND Article 35 – Reports by States Parties?

“On behalf of over 31 million Nigerians with Disabilities, under the JONAPWD Board of Trustees direct care, I want to first thank The Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representative of Nigeria for appointing, Barr Abdulsalam Idowu Kamaldeen to become his, Legislative Aide, to the Honorable Speaker of the House of Representatives on Disability Matters. I also move to humbly plead with the Senate President to do same,” the body stated in the document.

JONAPWD, however, appreciated the many efforts of the 9th National Assembly to work towards the passing of the bill into law after several impediments and bureaucratic bottlenecks it had suffered in the past” which culminated in meetings that were well attended by the Legislators with sincere inputs into the discussions.

According to them,  “One of the major subjects of those high-level meetings was because the pending Disability Bill got lost at the 8th National Assembly and we want both the Senate and House of Representatives to find them.

“We were promised that they will find the bills, vote and pass it within 30 days, which they honoured as promised.

“On 8th November 2018 and 21st November 2018, respectively, The Hon. Speaker and his Honorable members of the House of Representatives, the Senate President and His Distinguished members of the Senate passed the final and transmitted it to HE President Muhammadu Buhari, who signed it on 17th January 2019.

Making a case for an urgent need for the Commission, JONAPWD said, “Sir, you are aware that since the history of Nigeria, till this ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, Nigerians with disabilities, has been repeatedly subjected under the cruellest and unusual punishments, discrimination, marginalization, exclusion from programs and services, treated like beggars, destitute, tortured and humiliated and denied Disability-Inclusive Annual National, States and Local Governments Budgets.

” The present 9th Assembly and the administration of HE President Muhammadu Buhari continued with the same kinds of wrong practices. Especially, the ongoing Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 and Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Developments, Social Investment Program (SIP) Palliatives Distributions.

” They completely disenfranchised us 31 million Nigerians with Disabilities, 10 million Almajiris, and millions of IDP. These are in gross violations of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, (Nigerians with Disabilities Act (NDA)) and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), its, Article 4 – General obligations, especially, 4.3 and Article 11 – Situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies.

Therefore Sir, please note that from Post COVID19, we will not continue to allow these kinds of wrongdoings against Nigerians with Disabilities to continue and that’s why we want to start positive actions now through, Barr. Abdulsalam Idowu Kamaldeen, Legislative Aide to the Speaker of the House of Representatives on Disability Matters.”

Miss. Omotunde is the Secretary/Deputy Chairperson & co-founder of the JONAPWD, First Women’s Leader of the JONAPWD, Former Disability Desk Officer, Head of Civil Services of the Federation of Nigeria, Headquarters, President: Center for Advocacy for Person with Disabilities, which is a member of the JONAPWD, Convener of the Nigerians with Disability Caucus (NDC), who successfully, worked with Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities International, Inc & Kpakpando Foundation, to advocate for the New Disability Law.

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