The President, National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), Comrade John Adaji has called for the social inclusion of persons with disabilities.
Comrade Adaji made the call during 2020 International Day of Persons with Disabilities celebration in Kaduna.
He called for access to education, healthcare, livelihoods, and rights to participate and be included in the community in all its dimensions by Persons with Disabilities.
He said people with physical challenges are more likely to live in poverty and experience higher rates of violence, neglect and abuse, saying “When crisis grips communities, persons with disabilities are among the worst affected.”
He said the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating these inequalities and producing new threats to them.
“We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure full implementation of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, which he signed into law last year as well as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) which Nigeria had ratified.
“There is also the establishment of National Commission for Persons with Disabilities to be responsible for ensuring that people with disabilities have access to housing, education, and healthcare among others,” he said.
