The Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) has called on the Federal Government to allocate at least ₦1 trillion annually to address the welfare, development and inclusion of persons with disabilities in Nigeria.
National President of JONAPWD, Abdullah Usman, made the call on Monday in Abuja at a stakeholders’ engagement forum on the rights, inclusion and meaningful participation of persons with intellectual, psychological and hearing disabilities.
Usman argued that the size of Nigeria’s disability community justified increased government investment, noting that the population of persons with disabilities was larger than that of some states in the country.
“My demand is ₦1 trillion to be at least the budget of persons with disabilities. I think ₦500 billion is small for the community of persons with disabilities,” he said.
He added that the proposed allocation should reflect the population and diverse needs of persons with disabilities across the country.
“Can’t you see that the budget of some states will reach close to that, and then the population of persons with disabilities is more than in many states in this country,” Usman said.
The JONAPWD president also called for equal recognition and protection of the fundamental human rights of all categories of persons with disabilities.
He said the government must ensure that persons with disabilities were not left behind in national development, regardless of the nature of their disabilities.
“The general idea that we want to lay with the agency, generally, is for the President of the Republic of Nigeria and other members of the Executive Council of Nigeria to know that all the categories of persons with disabilities need to have equal fundamental human rights with our colleagues, persons with no disabilities in this country,” he said.
Usman identified persons who are Deaf, blind, psychosocially disabled and those with intellectual disabilities, among others, as part of the diverse disability community requiring appropriate attention from government.
He urged policymakers to take the size, diversity and specific needs of the disability community into consideration when formulating policies and allocating public resources.
Responding, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, Mohammed Isa, said the Federal Government was taking steps to improve funding and support for persons with disabilities.
Isa, however, stressed the need for inclusive budgeting across government institutions rather than focusing solely on a specific financial allocation for disability issues.
“It’s not about the money, but what we are supposed to be advocating is inclusive budgeting,” he said.
According to him, government ministries, departments and agencies have specific mandates to implement policies and programmes that promote disability inclusion, while the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) is expected to monitor compliance and performance.
“What we are looking at is proper funding for the commission,” Isa said, adding that the government was “fully committed to advancing disability inclusion.”
He further disclosed that the administration had incorporated persons with disabilities into various social intervention programmes and was also working towards the establishment of rehabilitation centres.
The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities is mandated to promote, protect and enforce the rights of Nigerians with disabilities and ensure their inclusion and equal participation in society.
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