Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) under the aegis of Joint National Association of Persons with Disability have cried out over alleged discrimination against their members in employment into Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the government.
The group also advocated the need for an amendment of the Child Rights Act and other legislations on discrimination against persons with disabilities as a way of ensuring that such practices were reduced to the minimal level in society.
National President of the Association, Abdullahi Aliyu made the call on Monday at a media parley organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Disability during which the committee engaged with persons with disabilities to chart a road map for the committee’s activities.
He stated that society discriminated against the persons with disabilities and other persons with special needs, adding that laws which made provision for such inclusion of the PWDs were not being enforced.
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He said that all hands must be on deck from both the legislature and executive to ensure that parents of children with special needs sponsor their education to the highest levels so that they could make contributions to societal development.
Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Disability Matters, Comrade Mohammed Abba Isa, said that the exclusion of persons with disabilities in employment in MDAs of government must stop.
He noted that the Disability Act 2018 specifically provided that 5 per cent of employments in MDAs should be set aside for persons with disabilities and enjoined the relevant agencies to abide by it in their routine recruitment of staff.
He said: “The Disability Act specified that 5% of persons with disability should be employed in Ministries Departments and Agencies MDAS.”
The House Committee chairman, Bashiru Dauda in his remarks said that committee would convoke a stakeholders’ engagement on the issue of persons with disabilities and pledged to ensure that the engagement is sustained overtime.
He assured that that House Committee would make sure 5% reservation of slots in employment by the MDAs for persons with disabilities.
He also stated that the committee would use legislations and amendment of such laws to ensure that no person with disability is denied access to public institutions in their search for opportunities including employment.
