Executive Director, Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) Mr. David Obinna Anyaele has expressed concerns that persons with disabilities (PWDs) were not considered for the palliatives provided by the Federal Government to cushion the effects of the lockdown to control Covid-19.
Speaking on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on PWDs via skype on a popular television show, Anyaele said that calls for serious concern that over 25 million Nigerians with disabilities which 70 percent reside in the rural area that persons with disabilities are excluded in the FG palliatives.
Speaking further, he wondered that despite the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Disability Bill into law which put persons with disabilities at advantage in a time of emergency like this, the reverse was still the case.
He cited that the pallatives given to the poor by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social, Umar Farouk last Wednesday in Kwali, Abuja, there was no beneficiary from the disability community there, raising speculations that persons with disabilities are not included in the social register of the ministry.
“The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 have not mentioned persons with disabilities in all their briefings and they have not been able to tell us how many of those who tested positive are persons with disabilities to enable us track them and make some special recommendations.
“Persons with disabilities are more vulnerable to COVID-19 because persons with disabilities are always dependent on the caregivers and many of them use assistive devices, if there is no measures put in place targeted to them, they stand the risk of contracting the virus, it is unfortunate that there is no state response directed to persons with disabilities at this critical time. It is disheartening that it took the intervention of a nonprofit organization who donated sign language interpreters to the PTF before they could have sign language interpreters in their briefings,” he said.
Anyaele also.wondered why Lagos State having an Office for Disability Affairs, the State Governor has not deemed fit to set up a board, an absence of which, he said, makes it difficult for the office to coordinate activities that will support persons with disabilities in Lagos State.
Likewise, he said the Federal Government has refused to set a disability commission to help put modalities in place to implement government plans for persons with disabilities.
“Persons with disabilities are the most vulnerable among Social group because many of them can’t walk, many can’t talk, many can’t see and federal government should make effort so that they should not be left behind,” he said.
He, therefore, called on those in government who have the ears of the Minister of Humanitarian Affair and the President to make them understand that persons with disabilities were totally excluded in the Federal Government palliatives ongoing and that PWDs require more assistance because they are more vulnerable than any other group at a time like this.