MDAs Reluctant to Implement Disability Act Provisions Despite Clear Timeline – Reps
By Juliet Vincent
The Chairman, House Committee on Disability Matters, Hon. Bashiru Dawodu has lamented that despite a clear timeline for the commencement of the implementation of the the passage of the Discrimination Against Persons With Disability (Prohibition) Act 2018′ , Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are still not implementing its provisions.
The Act was signed by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
He stated this at an investigative hearing to access the level of compliance to the Act by MDAs on held by the Committee on Monday.
Rep. Dawodu stated that the Act provided a timeline for the implementation which he said had elapsed since January and MDAs are not committed to implement its provisions.
The Chairman noted that the Committee is meeting the stakeholders to ensure the adherence and observance of the provisions of the Act which he said was aimed to provide all the rights of People With Disabilities.
According to him, the non implementation of the provisions of the Act is putting the lives of the people covered by it into jeopardy by denying them various rights enshrined in the document.
He informed that, the committee was mandated to investigate the compliance of MDA’s to the Act sequel to the resolution of the House on a motion.
He said the Committee will critically assess thematic areas of accessibility, employment, disability inclusion in policy, plans, programme and projects of the MDA’s.
The lawmaker noted that most MDAs have not started or have not even put in place any measure to that effect.
In hir remarks, the House Leader, Rep. Julius Ihonvere, said the World Health Organisation (WHO) had reported that Nigeria accounts for about 20 million out of the total 195 million Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) around the world, which implies that it accounts for about 3.9 % of the figure.
He said, “This is therefore a major challenge to the government and people of Nigeria. I believe that the basis for this engagement has become necessary and long overdue. We must act now in order to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.
“We all know that the National Assembly passed the Bill on the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018 and was accented to by President Muhammadu Buhari, this means that this law in already in force,” he said.
Ihonvere said the Act protects the rights and welfare of Persons With Disabilities in Nigeria, as enunciated by Part V, which provides for the liberty, right to education, health and first consideration in queues, accommodation and in emergencies.
“Yet, MDAs are yet to implement the Act even at this moment that we speak. But if this is allowed to continue, it will cause severe damage to our social economic development and further impair our thinking as a people without understanding and the will to do the right thing,” he said.
According to him, Section 1 (i) of the Act provides that ” a person with disability shall not be discriminated against on the ground of his disability by any person or institution in any manner or circumstance.
He added: “The discrimination and stigmatisation faced by Persons With Disabilities in Nigeria has continued unabated yet the compliance level of MDAs to the “Disability Act” has overtime left the challenges unattended.
“It is not different with the private sector. Whereas, Section 2 provides for the promotion of awareness regarding the; (a) “rights, respect and dignity of persons with disabilities and (b) capabilities, achievements and contributions of persons with disabilities to the society,” Ihonvere stressed.
