The Federal Government has increased the 2024 budgetary allocation of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) by 500 per cent of what it received in 2023.
The Executive Secretary (ES) of the commission, Mr James Lalu, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja. Lalu was speaking on how the disability community had fared in the one year administration of President Bola Tinubu.
“The administration of President Tinubu is truly committed to providing opportunities for People Living with Disabilities (PwDs). The commission has continued to receive all the necessary support from the administration to ensure that PwDs are carried along.
“Since the coming of the Renewed Hope administration, there are some deliberate initiatives the president put in place to improve access to governance and quality of service to persons with disabilities,” he said
Lalu recalled that, as soon as the President assumed office on May 29, 2023, he made request on the instrument of reactivation of the African Union Protocol on Disability. “The president did not waste time, he went ahead to sign the instrument, demonstrating Nigeria’s commitment towards improving the quality of lives of PwDs which is part of the international treaty.
“As I am talking to you, Nigeria is a full-time member-state on issues of Disabilities as regarding African Protocol on Disability.,” he said.
Lalu said Tinubu equally created the Office of the Special Assistant to the President on Disability Affairs to ensure that PwDs are carried along in governance.
“Just recently, there was approval from the President for the full enforcement of Accessibility Law.
“This is a policy document, created primarily to provide standardisation for accessibility facilities for PwDs in public buildings and all the build environments as well as transportation.
“The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities at the moment, is setting all the structure that are required for the full enforcement of this accessibility regulations.
“This is going to empower the Commission to monitor compliance, seal buildings and where necessary, invite erring party or organisations.
“The commission is also empowered by the law to do investigation, prosecute and sanction, where appropriate,” he said
Lalu said it was based on the approved law by the President that sanction was meted to a KFC outlet at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos over alleged discriminatory treatment against a Passenger with Reduced Mobility at the airport. (NAN)
