BY ANTHONY OCHELA, ABUJA
National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, has reaffirmed its vision to create an enabling environment for the promotion, protection and enforcement of the rights of all persons living in Nigeria, including the rights of persons living with disabilities.
Director-General of the commission, Dr Tony Ojukwu (SAN) stated this yesterday at the opening of a two-day workshop on the roles of relevant stakeholders in the implementation and promotion of the human rights of persons with disabilities in accordance with the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 and Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Ojukwu lamented the numerous myths around disability, which he said amounts to various human rights abuses and violations against persons living with disabilities ranging from discrimination, exclusion and other harmful traditional practices due to awareness on disability rights.
Ojukwu, represented by the Head of the Legal Unit, Rabi Ahwal, said “the workshop is aimed at promoting disability inclusion and mainstreaming the programmes of ministries, departments and agencies, and relevant stakeholders by identifying their duties and responsibilities in implementing the Disability Rights Act and the African Disability Protocol.
He noted that while the Disability Rights Act was signed into law after years of struggle and became a watershed for the disability community, implementation has remained a huge challenge.
The NHRC boss commended the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, MDAs, Development Partners, Sightsavers, organisations of persons with disabilities, faith-based and civil society organisations, among others for their determination in promoting disability inclusion.
In his message of solidarity, Executive Secretary, National Commission for Persons With Disabilities, Chief Ayuba Gafwan, who expressed appreciation to NHRC for the programme, said his commission was established with the mandate to ensure that the rights of persons with disabilities are accorded.
Gafwan pointed out that the basic challenge of persons with disabilities is discrimination which comes in two particular ways: non-inclusion and lack of accessibility.
He noted the excellence being achieved by persons with disabilities in all sectors of life, while lamenting that the society denies them jobs on the basis of their disability and several buildings are without mobility facilities for them.
Gafwan called for services that ought to be provided for such persons in offices and educational institutions, like sign language interpreters, braille booksand wheel chairs, among others.
He said denying them their rights means denying them the opportunity to contribute to national growth and anyone can suffer disability at any time including military officers.
On his part, Chairman of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, Abdullahi Usman, who was represented by Winnie Shaku, urged effective implementation of laws and treaties guaranteeing the rights of persons with disability.
He also called for alignment of strategies and policies with the aspirations of persons with disabilities to bridge the gap and ensure that no one is left behind.
