In commemoration of the International Day of Persons With Disabilities, which is celebrated on December 3 every year, the federal government has reiterated its commitment towards providing an enabling environment for persons living with disabilities to thrive in Nigeria.
Addressing participants Tuesday in Abuja, during the grand finale of series of events lined up by the ministry to celebrate this year’s event, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq, commended President Muhammadu Buhari for assenting to the Discrimination Against Persons With Disabilities (Prohibition) Act “after 18 years of long struggle.”
Farouq said that the Act provides for the full integration of persons with disabilities into the society and aims at establishing a national commission for persons with disabilities, “which will be vested with the responsibilities for the education, health, social, economic and civil rights of people living with disabilities.”
She further explained that the significance of the commission is for the people living with disabilities to know that they are not left behind “because they are going to be carried along and will be supported in several ways possible”.
She said: “The commission will be saddled with the responsibility of day to day affairs and they are going to be engaged with projects and programmes the government is going to execute, because the commission will be like every other commission. We are focusing on ensuring that they are equipped and empowered for inclusive, equitable and sustainable development. As envisaged in the SDGs, disability has been identified as both a right and development issue.
“Government will continue to collaborate with various stakeholders and partners to implement all the stipulations of this Act on discrimination against persons with disabilities. Government is guaranteeing a conducive environment towards promoting the participation of persons with disabilities and their leadership for the realisation of their potentials; to enable them live a fulfilled life and make meaningful contribution to societal growth and development.”
The Theme of 2019 International Day for Persons with Disabilities is “the future is accessible”, while the federal government adopted “promoting the participation of persons with disabilities and their leadership: taking action on 2030 development agenda” and the event had in attendance top government officials, representatives from different NGOs, stakeholders in the health sector and more than 500 FCT residents.
