The Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) has urged the Federal and State Governments to ensure that interventions being implemented to cushion the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic are all encompassing and inclusive.
Addressing a press conference, Executive Director, CCD, David O. Anyaele said it was no longer news that the pandemic was affecting the social, economic political life of every nation of the world, with its consequence effect felt majorly by persons with disabilities across board.
He said the United Nation General Secretary Antonio Guttres had during a recent briefing at the UN House drew the attention of the world on the need to adequately mainstream issues of persons with disabilities in the fight against the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic.
Narrowing the situation to Nigeria, Anyaele said 15 months after President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 nothing concrete has been done to show the government’s seriousness to follow up with implementation.
This situation, the CCD Director said has hampered the plight of over 25 million Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria since the outbreak of the pandemic.
He noted that the Presidential task force on Covid-19 is finding it difficult to implement even as organisations of persons with disabilities have made several efforts to draw the attention of the leadership of PTF on Covid-19 without success.
“In view of the current situation, Centre for Citizens with Disabilities joins the global call for an integrated approach that will ensure that persons with disabilities are not left behind in COVID-19 response and recovery.
“As the most vulnerable group, CCD calls for prioritizing disability issues at the centre of the response, ensuring inclusion and participation of PWDs during planning and implementation,” Anyaele said.
He stressed that it was important for all COVID-19 related action to prohibit any form of discrimination based on disability and take into consideration the intersections of gender and age, among other factors.
Recommending ways out, Anyaele said government at all levels must take steps to ensure mainstreaming of disability in all COVID-19 response and recovery plans with targeted actions and also ensure accessibility of information, facilities, services and programmes in the COVID-19 response and recovery plans.
“Accessibility is fundamental to the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the immediate health and socio-economic response to COVID-19. If public health information, the built environment, communications and technologies, and goods and services are not accessible, people with disabilities cannot take necessary decisions, live independently and isolate or quarantine safely, or access health and public services on an equal basis with others.
“Ensure meaningful consultation with and active participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations in all stages of the COVID-19 response and recovery. Persons with disabilities have important contributions to make in tackling the crisis and building the future.
“Many persons with disabilities have experience of thriving in situations of isolation and alternate working arrangements that can offer models for navigating the current situation. Perspectives and lived experiences of disability contribute to creativity, new approaches and innovative solutions to challenges.
“Establish accountability mechanisms to ensure disability inclusion in the COVID-19 response. Ensure inclusive investments to support disability-inclusive outcomes. Governments, donors, and other actors need to establish mechanisms to monitor investments to ensure it is reaching persons with disabilities. Disaggregating data by disability is key to ensure accountability.”
The CCD Boss also called on the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 pandemic to mandate National Centre for Disease Control to create a dedicated hotline, ambulances, and transport facilities for persons with disabilities to enable them access information and routine medical checkups.
The challenge of hunger in disability communities, he said was getting worst by the day, as such priority attention is needed on access to food and other palliatives to ensure they are not left behind in the distribution of relief materials.
“On our part CCD, has commenced the implementation on Covid-19 Behavourial Change among Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria. The goal of the project is to minimize the negative impact of Covid-19 among Nigerians with disabilities,” he said.