The Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development in Abuja has installed its first wheelchair-accessibility ramp, 34 years after its establishment, in a significant step towards promoting disability inclusion and improving access for women with disabilities.
The Director-General of the centre, Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, disclosed this on Friday while announcing activities to mark the institution’s 34th anniversary.
She said the ramp was constructed by Julius Berger at no cost to the government as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative.
According to Benjamins-Laniyi, the intervention followed an accessibility audit conducted in collaboration with the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD).
She explained that since assuming office on June 1, she had refused to occupy the Director-General’s office located upstairs until women with disabilities could access it.
The decision, she said, was informed by an incident in August when a board member with a disability, Lois Auta, had to be carried upstairs by five men to attend a meeting.
Benjamins-Laniyi said Auta wheeled into the building independently for the first time on Wednesday, describing the development as a demonstration of dignity, independence and improved accessibility for persons with disabilities.
She also announced plans to redesign the centre’s auditorium ramp, which she said had caused accidents because of improper construction.
Beyond physical infrastructure, the Director-General said the centre was strengthening disability inclusion in employment and institutional leadership.
She disclosed that a visually impaired staff member who joined the institution 29 years ago at the most junior level in the Information and Communication Technology department would now head a directorate.
According to her, the centre is also upgrading its enabling technology and introducing new empowerment packages, research initiatives, artificial intelligence and ICT programmes through its six zonal offices.
She listed the High Commission of India and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) among the institution’s partners.
Benjamins-Laniyi further announced that the centre was collaborating with the National Gallery of Art to unveil the “First 66”, a public portal through which Nigerians would select 65 living women icons.
She said First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, who recently celebrated her 66th birthday, would be listed as number one on the portal.
The Director-General also called on women to support one another, introducing the slogan “She for She” to challenge the perception that women do not adequately support their fellow women.
She encouraged women who had contested elections to remain focused, noting that their participation in the political process could help create opportunities for other women.
Benjamins-Laniyi added that the centre was being repositioned as the front office of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs in line with the “Women O’Clock” declaration of the Minister, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim. (NAN)
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