By Justina Auta
Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) have decried being excluded from policies, access to physical structures and education which has hindered their standard of living and contributed to unequal opportunities for them.
They made the call during the unveiling of the mural created by SightSavers Nigeria at the Area one roundabout, Abuja, ahead of the 79th UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) summit.
The summit is centred on on giving youths with disabilities a voice.
Mr Chris Agbo, Secretary-General, Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) stressed the need for the implementation of policies and Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Act.
“What we are asking is for those policies and Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Act to be fully implemented.
“They should make budgetary allocations towards the implementation of these policies and the disability law.
“They should also fund the National Commission for Persons with Disability for the benefit of over 35 million PWDs in Nigeria Agbo,” said”
According to him, the creation of mural shows SightSavers commitment towards ensuring that the rights of PWDs are protected, they have access to health care services, education.
He said that their voices should be heard at the level decision-making.
“It is important that we use this opportunity to remind the duty bearers and the public about the right of persons with disability to access these services.
“PWDs have right to assess education, health and economic opportunities.
“And you know that when you talk about disability, it is basically about the barriers that the society have created.
“So this is an opportunity to tell the public that they need to remove some of these barriers so that PWDs can access resources and opportunities,” ge said.
Mr Benjamin Isaac, member, JONAPWD, said that inclusion of PWDs in decision making would enable them highlights their challenges with a view to addressing them.
Mrs Esther Bature, Sightsavers Country Advocacy Coordinator, said that the forthcoming UN general assembly was an opportunity for global leaders to deliberate on progress and implementation of SDGs.
She said that the mural was an attempt to draw more attention to the voices and the plight of young persons with disability.
“This will be showcased at the summit of the future, at the UN General Assembly for Nigeria.
“We are focusing on the voices of young persons with disability.
“We believe that young persons with disability have a lot to bring to the table if given a space on the table to be a part of critical conversations that has to do with them.
“If they are given the opportunity for their voices to be heard, they will make meaningful contribution to nation building, and the burden of destitution in the country will be greatly reduced,” she said.
She called for the the full implementation of the SDGs to ensure inclusivity for PWDs especially in the areas of health, education, and economic empowerment to ensure their inclusivity and equal opportunities for all.
“We will like to see the SDGs implemented as it should be.
“Also, we have policies that talk about inclusive education policy, inclusive health and national accessibility regulation to make public spaces accessible for PWDs,” she said. (NAN)