Persons With Disabilities PWDs in the country have kicked against their continued exclusion from engagements regarding the articulation and distribution of post-fuel subsidy palliatives by the President Bola Tinubu administration.
According to them, several requests for meetings with relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies MDAs were turned down, only being able to meet with the House of Representatives Committee Chairman on Disability, Dr Bashiru Dawodu.
At a news conference Friday in Abuja, the coalition of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities OPDS in Nigeria under the aegis of Accelerate Disability Inclusion in Emergencies ADIE Forum, equally demanded a reversal of the 7.5% Value Added Tax VAT to its initial 5%.
Addressing participants, Hon. Dawodu said the House Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas had recently given an approval to have a sign language interpreter in the lower chamber during proceedings.
Pledging support for PWDs in the country, the lawmaker said he would use his office to promote their cause, but challenged them to not relent in demanding their rights which he said are not given on a platter.
He said; “We have had some discussions with the Speaker and he has obliged us that for the first time, we will have sign language interpreters during plenary so that PWDs in that category can understand deliberations in the House.
“I will vigorously pursue your recommendations because I agree with what you have said”.
Those who spoke for the PWDs were Grace Jerry, Co-chairperson, Accelerate Disability Inclusion in Emergencies ADIE Forum; and Executive Director, Inclusive Friends Association IFA; Christian Agbo, Co-chairperson, ADIE; and Executive Director, the Qualitative Magazine; Jake Epelle, Founder/Chief Executive Officer TAF Africa, and Member, ADIE Forum; Lois Auta, Chief Executive Officer, Cedar Seed Foundation; and Member, ADIE Forum; Betty Mube, Women Leader, Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities, JONAPWD, FCT Chapter; and, Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani), Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre CISLAC; and Chair, Board of Trustees, Amnesty International Nigeria.
They said; “After our last press conference, we wrote letters requesting for meetings with government Ministries, Departments and Agencies MDAs and relevant committees of the National Assembly. Sadly, only the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Disability, Hon. Bashiru Dawodu, responded. We held a fruitful meeting with Hon Dawodu and left with the impression that we have in him a leader who is knowledgeable and passionate about the welfare of PWDs.
“We acknowledge the measures announced by President Bola Tinubu during his July 31 and Independence Day broadcasts. They are welcome developments. There is however a need to do more. To do more however, the federal, state and local governments need to bring Organizations of Persons with Disabilities OPDs to the table.
“Most countries around the world are moving closer towards inclusive governance. Inclusive governance includes thinking about marginalized groups like PWDs during policy making and giving them a seat at the table to contribute to decision making. In the disability community we say ‘Nothing about us without us’. This is because as the African proverb goes, ‘you cannot shave a man’s head in his absence.’ These were some of the reasons why the ADIE Forum called on the federal and state governments to include PWDs in the joint committees negotiating and monitoring the implementation of economic palliatives during our last press conference. As seen from their negotiation with the federal government so far, the demands of organized labour like ‘wage awards’ will benefit only civil servants.
“The representatives of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities OPDs and Civil Society Organizations CSOs should be incorporated into the planning, implementation, and monitoring of the cash transfer initiative and such other measures that may be initiated by government at all levels, in respect of the fuel subsidy removal policy.
“The federal, state, and local governments should introduce an affordable public transportation system that is accessible to Persons with Disabilities PWDs beginning in October 2023. We earlier set a commencement date of September but this has clearly not been achieved. This program should provide discounted or free transportation vouchers, passes, or dedicated transportation services to ensure affordable and accessible transportation options for PWDs. Accessible transportation should include buses with adjustable ramps and handrails for wheelchair users, signage and electronic display for directions with audio announcements for the benefit of the deaf and the blind.
“The federal and state governments should initiate a stand-alone social protection intervention for persons with disabilities PWDs, including establishing reliable databases of PWDs, food banks for an equitable distribution of economic palliatives to PWDs, and targeted financial assistance. There is no clarity on how marginalized groups like PWDs will be accommodated in the economic palliatives recently announced by the federal and state governments. This recommendation will address that.
“The federal government should reverse the Value Added Tax VAT from 7.5 percent to 5 percent by October 2023, and halt further increases in existing taxes, tariffs, and duties, as well as the introduction of new ones for the next one year to increase the purchasing power of Nigerians, especially PWDs. We had also proposed this to begin to take effect in September but that has not been achieved. Also, we have noted commentaries from the federal government about reducing the number of taxes in the country from about 62 to a single digit. We believe that this and our recommendations above are most desirable.
“Government should conduct awareness campaigns to educate the public about the challenges faced by persons with disabilities, emphasizing the importance of inclusive transportation and the adverse effects of the fuel subsidy removal on the community of persons with disabilities. These programs should promote empathy, respect, and understanding to curb discrimination and foster an inclusive society. 6. The federal government should work towards disability-inclusive budgeting to facilitate effective implementation of disability-inclusive policies towards a robust social protection system for vulnerable Nigerians, especially persons with disabilities. There is no better time for this than now, when the 2024 budget is being developed.
“The federal government should ensure the full implementation of the Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, particularly the 5 percent employment quota for PWDs and incentivize private and public sector employers to implement workforce inclusion initiatives for persons with disabilities like work-from-home options, flexible schedules, accessible workplaces etc”, they demanded.
The Accelerate Disability Inclusion in Emergencies ADIE Forum is a coalition of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities OPDS in Nigeria who came together to engage with government to cushion the adverse effects of the fuel subsidy removal policy on Nigeria’s 35 million People with Disabilities PWDs.
