Sam Philip
The failures of ministries, departments and agencies to implement provisions of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018 on Monday attracted the House Committee on Disability Matters.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Disability Matters, Hon. Bashiru Dawodu expressed deep concern over the failures, saying the compliance ought to have begun in January.
At the investigative hearing on assessment of the level of compliance, Dawodu noted that many MDAs ignored the Act’s mandates on the rights and welfare of millions of Nigerians living with disabilities.
He said: “The Act provides a timeline for implementation, but unfortunately, it has long elapsed, and MDAs have shown no commitment to enforce its provisions,” Dawodu remarked. “This non-compliance puts the lives and rights of persons covered under the Act in jeopardy, denying them protections that are already enshrined in law.”
The Act borders on the rights of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in different sectors, particularly in accessibility, employment, inclusion in policy and programmes formulations.
The House had mandated the committee to probe MDAs’ compliance with the Act, specifically focusing on key areas such as accessibility, employment, and disability inclusion.
Therefore, the House Leader, Julius Ihonvbere, alluded to a 2011 World Health Organization(WHO) report, which states that PWD in the federation are about 20 million out of the 195 million PWD in the world.
“This is a significant challenge for Nigeria, and the time to act is now. The National Assembly passed this crucial legislation, signed into law by former President Muhammadu Buhari, but the blatant refusal to implement it by MDAs is alarming,” Ihonvbere said. “Failure to enforce this law will have severe repercussions on our social and economic development.
“Section 1(i) of the Act states, “A person with disability shall not be discriminated against on the ground of their disability by any person or institution.”
He expressed his disagreement with discrimination and stigmatization of PWDs in MDAs and different sectors of the nation.
The House Leader, therefore, called for immediate action, warning that continued negligence would impair Nigeria’s progress and worsen inequalities in the country..