Group Lauds National Assembly Over Passage Of Disability Bill

The 8th National Assembly under the leadership of Senate President Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has been commended for passing the 2016 Disability Bill which was passed for the 4th time by the House of Representatives and the Senate on June 9 and July 13, 2016 respectively.

This was contained in a statement issued at a Disability Roundtable, which was supported by Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), for the purpose of creating a platform to share the Nigeria Disability Bill as harmonized by the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) and to get the buy-in of stakeholders.

The event which had people from all walks of life in attendance, saw participants articulating and making practicable recommendations for the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities in Nigeria and for the assent of President Muhammadu Buhari on the Bill.

Saraki had promised when he was visited by key disability actors led by the CCD that the bill would be passed.

The group in a statement at the end of the roundtable said: “Participants: Appreciates the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari-led government on disability issues to the extent of making two appointments (Senior Special Assistant and Special Assistant) on disability matters, which is a demonstration of political will of promoting disability inclusion.

“Commended the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara as well as the entire member of the 8th Session of the National Assembly for the passage of the Nigeria Disability Bill for the 4th time, which is in line with the promise of the Senate President, Sen. Saraki during the visit of key disability actors led by the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) to the Senate President.

“Praised the National Assembly for passing disability bills that can compared to what is obtainable in developed nations as it made provisions for a Commission for Persons with Disabilities which is in line with the Article 33 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities that states that ‘States Parties shall, in accordance with their legal and administrative systems, maintain, strengthen, designate or establish within the State Party, a framework, including one or more independent mechanisms, as appropriate, to promote, protect and monitor implementation of the present Convention.’

The group however expressed concerns that despite the attention given to the plight of persons with disabilities in the media, only four (Plateau, Bauchi, Ekiti and Lagos) States in Nigeria have passed a law to protect the rights and dignity of citizens with disabilities in Nigeria