The Coalition of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities has called for the establishment of a National Disability Commission to implement the Disability Law assented this January.
The law bans discrimination against persons with disability, giving them legal visibility for the first time, but the lack of a commission is like “hand set without SIM cards,” said Chidi Olujie, national coordinator of the coalition, which comprises more than 20 different organisations.
The organisations comprise Nigerians who are visually impaired, hearing impaired, confined to wheelchairs—alongside a range of disability that affects up to 27 million Nigerians including children.
With days to general elections, the coalition raised its voice on national developments that have shaped campaigns so far.
It told a press conference that high rate of insecurity in the country has created “more people with disabilities”, and called on the federal government to “stop killings in the north and kidnappings in the south and stop playing politics with the lives of Nigerians.”
“The scourging unemployment rate in Nigeria has impoverished millions of persons with disabilities in Nigeria,” said Olujie.
“It’s a fact that none of the Social Safety Net of the federal government as at today has disability content. This is very unfortunate and unbecoming of an administration that preaches inclusion and fairness.”
“More than 80% percent of the out of school children in Nigeria today are children with disabilities and yet there is no defined education policy for persons with disabilities.”
Beyond persons with disability, the coalition condemned “impunity, abuse and arrogance of power” of the APC-led government in the removal of the Chief Justice of Nigeria.
It said gross impunity was capable of plunging the country into “unnecessary and avoidable conflict and armed struggle due to anarchy and chaos” and urged the president to “stop fanning this ember of disunity by calling back the CJN.”
The coalition declared it has mobilized more than five million people with disability to vote Atiku Abubakar in next month’s elections.
Dandeson Hart, who leads one support group of persons with disability pitching their tent with the Atiku camp, said mobilisation has been on since the “craze for permanent voter cards”.
He said coordinators for groups of persons with disability across states and wards set up sensitisation drive to ensure all persons with disability registered and collected their voter cards.
