Reps Cttee Frowns At MDA’s Over Non Implementation of Disability Act 2018
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’, signed by former President Muhammadu Buhari, Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are still not implementing its provisions.
He made this known at an investigative hearing to access the level of compliance to the Act by MDAs, held by the committee, on Monday.
Rep. Dawodu stated that the Act has provided a timeline for the implementation, which he said had elapsed since January, and the MDAs are not committed to implementing its provisions.
The Lagos federal lawmaker noted that the committee is meeting the stakeholders as part of the 10th Assembly, 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 Disability Act is putting the lives of the people covered by the Act into jeopardy, by denying them their various rights enshrined in the Act.
He informed that the committee was mandated to investigate the compliance of MDAs to Discrimination Against Persons With Disability (Prohibition) Act 2018, 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 MDAs.
The lawmaker noted that most MDAs have not started, or have not even put in place any measure to that effect.
In his remarks, the House Leader, Rep. Julius Ihonvere stated that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had reported that Nigeria accounts for about 20 million out of the total 195,000,000 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.
“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”.
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.”