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Jonathan’s Tranformation Agenda Not Reaching People With Disabilities

An advocate of the Centre For Citizens with Disabilities, David Anyaele, has lashed out at the Goodluck Jonathan administration for not reaching out to Nigerians … Continue reading Jonathan’s Tranformation Agenda Not Reaching People With Disabilities


David AnyaeleAn advocate of the Centre For Citizens with Disabilities, David Anyaele, has lashed out at the Goodluck Jonathan administration for not reaching out to Nigerians with disabilities through the ‘Transformation Agenda’.

While advocating for the rights of socio-cultural and political inclusion of persons with disabilities on the 2014 edition of the International Day for the Disabled on Sunrise Daily, Anayele argued that “if you watch President Goodluck Jonathan’s utterances, either in private or public discussions, he hardly mentions people with disabilities,” Anayaele said.

He further noted that the impact of President Goodluck Jonathan’s ‘Tranformation Agenda” was not being felt by by people with diabilities.

He noted that many countries all over the world are measuring their ability to attend to the needs of people with disabilities in their country but noted that Nigeria is yet to have a law criminalising the discrimination against such people.

He disclosed that the National Assembly has passed, harmonised and adopted the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Prohibition Bill, further commending Senate President, David Mark and House of Representatives Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal for their support.

However, he berated the Executive arm of government for “paying lip service to issues of disability”.

Anyaele noted that the bill is currently undergoing ‘cleansing’ for transmission to President Goodluck Jonathan but urged the Clerk of the National Assembly to ensure that the bill is passed to the President, for ascent.

“I’m still surprised why this process will take us such a long time”, he said, arguing that the cleansing was still on since October 15, when the National Assembly had adopted the harmonised version of the bill.

“That is why I’m pleading to the Clerk of the National Assembly to look at the more than 22 million Nigerians living with disabilities, whose future depends on the passage of this bill.

Anyaele further stressed the importance of the bill, noting that the issue of discrimination against people with disabilities will come to an end, as the bill criminalises discrimination on the grounds of disability.

“That bill makes provision for right to education, right to health services” as well as criminalises exclusion of people with disabilities from cultural, social and political life.