The Centre for Citizens with Disabilities, CCD has commended State governments that have adopted the Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 or passed disability laws in their respective States, while calling on 17 others that are yet to pass the Act to do so.
CCD, in a statement signed by the Executive Director, David Anyaele, made the demand in commemoration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2022.
Anyaele said “The last time we checked the following States have a law that protects their citizens with disabilities: North Central (Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, and Plateau States), Northeast (Bauchi State), Northwest (Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto and Zamfara States), Southeast (Abia, and Anambra States), Southsouth (Cross River, and Edo States) and Southwest (Ekiti, Lagos, Ondo, and Oyo States).
“We are calling on Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Ogun, Osun, Katsina, Kebbi, Gombe, Rivers, Taraba, and Yobe States government to take appropriate measures to protect their citizens with disabilities without further delay through the adoption of the Disability Act.”
Speaking about disability agenda in the forthcoming general election, Anyaele said “the elections campaign are ongoing across the Federation, unsurprisingly, issues of critical importance to the disability community are missing in the manifestos of front line political parties.
“This is indicative that the in-coming government may struggle to prioritize inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities in government programs and activities as their operational documents do not indicate how citizens with disabilities would be part of the government.
“People with disabilities and their families as well as concerned citizens should demand from political parties’ candidates’ agenda for persons with disabilities.”
He thereafter charged “PWDs and their organisations must document disability related promises made by candidates in order to hold them to account for the general elections.”