Implementing PWD Act involves all Nigerians – Mrs Beyioku-Alase


The chairperson, Deaf Women Association of Nigeria, Abuja Chapter, Mrs Hellen Beyioku-Alase, in an interview with ENE OSANG speaks on the Persons With  Disability (PWD) bill signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari a fortnight ago.

Persons With Disability bill has been signed into law, what does this means for you?

For the generality of persons with disabilities, the bill means total freedom, justice, equality and transformation. It means that their rights as Nigerians are recognised under the constitution unlike before when there was no recognised law to protect and prohibit all form of discriminations against them. PWDs are often neglected, isolated and reduced to objects of pity in Nigeria and that is what this bill prohibits. 

What does the bill entails?

The bill entails the rights and benefit of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) as citizens under Nigeria’s law which are rights to education, health, employment, transportation etc. It also prohibits all forms of discrimination against persons with disabilities in Nigeria and the bill has stipulated amount of fine to corporate entities and individuals found guilty of discriminating against persons with disabilities.

How long has the bill been in waiting?

It will interest you to know that we have been in the struggle for accentuation of this bill for over 20 years now. We have come a long way and I must commend President Muhammadu Buhari for this laudable step he took to sign the bill. Also our appreciation to the 8th assembly for the speedy passage of the bill. Both Houses deserve our commendation for the efforts they put in over the years.  

One common challenge with most Nigerian policies is implementation; do you think its implementation will be challenge also?

I don’t think so because the rather with which the president signed the bill is amazing and I don’t think the implementation will be a challenging one. This is because the bill spelt out how it will be implemented. Everyone, including children, have roles to play towards its implementation.

Many Nigerians feel signing the bill into law is just a political strategy by the APC to get your votes, how would you react to this?

Laughs….. It may be to some people that are not acquainted  with the bill, but to me, it is not true because it took us nearly 20 years for this struggle before the president assented to it. I don’t believe it is part of his campaign strategy but I see it as an acknowledgement by the present administration that persons with disabilities (PWDs) be given full rights and recognised under the same  constitution. We have come a long way and this is the best thing any president could have done for PWDs because it not only benefits PWDs but everybody with or without disabilities. 

How has it been all these while without the bill?

Life without the bill has been a hell to us living with disabilities including children. Imagine, how we were being made to suffer, raped,  beaten, trafficked, drugged, victimised, kicked, forced, discriminated  against what should have been our rights and privileges as stipulated in the constitution. In our everyday life, we faced a lot of barriers ranging from inaccessible information, lack of accessible health care, communication, environment, attitudinal and social barriers. Some people even believed erroneously that PWDs have no rights. Some government and private establishment/ organisation are not helping the matters. They also contributed to our suffering and encouraged discrimination against PWDs. When there is no law that prohibit such discrimination against persons with disabilities, some people are bound to take laws into their hands. Thankfully, the act is trending now and some Nigerians now know that there is law that prohibits all form of discriminations against PWDs.  Some of them have started treating some of us with respect.

How exactly did government and private agencies discriminate against PWD’s?

 When we talk about discrimination against PWDs by some government and private organisation, we are talking about the way we are treated on the basis of our disabilities either directly or indirectly.

Direct discrimination occurs when PWDs are treated less favourably because of disability than someone without a disability would be treated in the same circumstances. For example, as a deaf woman, when I was pregnant with my first child who is now 7 years, I did not know the time I should be preparing for ante-natal care.

The little information i got from some mothers who found it difficult to communicate with me on account of the deafness was to go to hospital and get registered. While in the hospital, the attendant collected my money for the registration and still found it difficult to attend to me when I signed that I cannot hear what she was saying. 

I was made to sit on a wooden bench far away from other women who were not PWDs receiving ante natal care and the thought of being discriminated never occurred to me at that time. I thought they were according me a privilege with hope that they will attend to me soon but I was totally wrong.

I was made to wait for several hours to the point that I was used and ridiculed by the health workers as an object of joke in the hospital. Imagine the psychological and sociological effects I went through as a nursing mother with disabilities.

If this happens in the U.S, the hospital and workers involved could be sued.

It will also interest you to know that majority of PWDs with necessary qualifications in Nigeria were not given the opportunities to work and earn a living and that is why you see many PWDs even with their qualification on the road begging for alms to survive and this is not encouraging at all.  Disability can occur to anyone at anytime. Therefore, the time is ripe for everybody to put an end to such practices.

In what way can this bill improve the lives of PWDs?

It would by prohibiting all forms of discrimination against PWDs within the country. It also stipulated a compulsory 5% employment for PWDs in every government and private establishment which majority of PWDs stand to benefit from. There is also a compulsory provision and priority for PWDs in education, health, transportation, employment  and such establishments would soon undergo transformation to accommodate all PWDs.   

What exactly did you do that made the president to assent to the bill?

What I did was to join hands with other coalition of persons with disabilities in Nigeria to lobby and press for quick passage of the bill. I also added my voice through the use of medias (both print and electronic) as well as taking advantage of towns-hall meeting to join other coalition of PWDs to demand and pray for Mr president to sign it. Thank God it worked.

Some jobs require disclosure of ability status. Is this also part of discrimination against PWD’s?

It depends on the employers of labour and requiring to know about ability or disability status should not be subject to discrimination rather it should be if the applicant can perform the duties with or without supervision.

Is there any provision of safety for PWDs during elections in the bill?

I don’t know if the bill can be interpreted to have any provision of safety for PWDs during elections but I believe that under the INEC provision ACT and Security Law, PWDs are considered to be given special privileges and that amounts to safety of lives and properties in Nigeria during and after the election.

Can you give us a personal experience of any discrimination you faced in the past where you are not supposed to be discriminated against and the action you took?

One of the numerous discriminations facing us today is the issue of accessible healthcare and job inclusion.

I am always disturbed that PWDs particularly deaf women and their children find it difficult to access health facilities and other health information due to the non-availability of sign language interpretation service within the health system which often limit our chance to access quality sexual and reproductive health services and information. As a concerned deaf mother and expert in SRHR and social activism, I choose the step to work to address this challenge which has resulted in working with the team to seek various partnerships and develop various proposals which has received attention.

In 2016, we partnered with Ipas in delivering the USAID funded pilot project of providing sign language interpreters at designated health facilities in Abuja. Presently, we have received information from the US Embassy of a funding to support the institutionalisation of sign language interpretation services within selected health facilities in Abuja. The project is focused on building capacities of deaf women and health workers to facilitate sign language interpretation within the health system. I have also made efforts to reach out with some organisations to empower and provide vocational tools for our members to be self reliant and contribute positively to national growth.

Leave a Reply