President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been urged to prioritise the welfare of an estimated 33 million persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Nigeria.
Executive Director, Inclusive Friends Association (IFA), Grace Jerry, made the call on Tuesday in Abuja.
She noted that while inclusive governance is imperative to actualising the dividends of democracy, previous advocacy efforts on political and governance issues have not yielded the desired results.
She said, “In particular, policymakers have not implemented policies advocated for that would meaningfully impact their lives.
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“The presidency of His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, therefore, presents a window of opportunity to change this narrative and work towards improving the rights of about 33 million persons with disabilities in Nigeria”.
She said Tinubu could implement the Governance Agenda for an Inclusive Nigeria (GAIN) by ensuring that his administration and state governments commit to affirmative action to ensure at least 10 percent of all political appointments are reserved for qualified persons with disability.
She said: “National Assembly members should commit to a champion tax rebate for employers complying with the 5 percent disability quota as incentives through an act of parliament.
“The president should commit to influencing the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budgeting, and National Planning to include a line item on disability in the national appropriation budgeting template for MDAs.”
