Disability is not a Barrier Initiative (DINABI) has embarked on advocacy visits to the Ekiti State Office of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and Ekiti State Office for Disability Affairs to engage the agencies on deepening disability inclusion.
The advocacy visit was carried out as part of DINABI’s project titled ‘Advocacy for Inclusion’ which aimed to ensure inclusion and full participation of Persons with Disabilities in all spheres of the society as well as calling on critical stakeholders and duty bearers on performing their duties inclusively towards implementation of Disability Laws in Nigeria.
During the visit to NHRC, the Executive Director of DINABI, Mr. Funso Olajide who led the delegation, lamented about the high level of exclusion and discrimination being faced by PWDs in Nigeria, narrating various cases of abuse, exploitation, harassment and total exclusion that PWDs are being subjected to daily.
Olajide called on the commission to set up a Disability Desk with a specially assigned officer with vast knowledge on disability issues and rights and asked that the commission should “ensure the protection of the rights of PWDs across the nation through prompt response to allegations of human rights violations, advocacy, education and intervention programs as enshrined in the commission’s mission statement.”
In his response, the Ekiti State Coordinator of NHRC, Mr. Biodun Adigun who was represented by Mrs. Adesina Ayomide, expressed the commission’s readiness to continue to collaborate with DINABI to to enhance inclusion, equity and justice for PWDs in the state.
The state office of the commission also promised to make recommendation to the head office on the establishment of a Disability Desk Office in all their State Offices across the nation.
In their separate responses, Mr Bayo Babalola, Com. Adeagbo Adesola, Mr Gbadeyan and Mrs Ogugua Mercy of the Commission expressed the commission’s readiness to continually protect the rights of all citizens including PWDs.
In a related development, DINABI also paid an advocacy visit to the Ekiti State Office for Disability Affairs where the Executive Secretary of the agency, Mrs. Funmilayo Fatoba expressed her delight at the prospect of collaborating with DINABI to ensure inclusion and service delivery to thousands of persons with disabilities in Ekiti state.
The DINABI team members who embarked on the advocacy visits are; The Executive Director, Mr. Funso Olajide; DINABI’s Program Officers, Mrs. Helen Alonge and Mr. Emmanuel Oni; Staff and Volunteers of DINABI, Blessing Ogunniran, Tosin Adeyemi and Omotunla Omotola.