Persons With Disabilities Need N1trn Allocation, Says Association

The Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities (JONAPWD) has appealed to the federal government to allocate at least N1 trillion to address the needs of physically-challenged Nigerians.
The group made the request as other stakeholders unveiled steps to tackle discrimination against persons with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities.

They spoke at the Phase One Stakeholders’ Engagement and Collaboration Forum of the Rights in Action (RiA) Project, organised by JONAPWD in collaboration with Inclusive Friends Association (IFA) and CBM Global in Abuja.

The event was themed “From Advocacy to Action: Strengthening Stakeholders’ Commitments for the Rights, Inclusion and Meaningful Participation of Persons with Intellectual, Psychosocial and Deaf Disabilities.”

In his remark, JONAPWD national president, Abdullah Usman, said “N500 billion is not enough for persons with disabilities.” He stated that the budgets of some states were above the entire federal government’s allocation, whereas the population of persons with disabilities is higher than those of many states.

Usman said, “My demand is at least N1 trillion.”

The minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, pledged the ministry’s continued support and partnership with JONAPWD and other relevant stakeholders towards building more inclusive, responsive and rights-driven humanitarian systems in Nigeria.

Represented by the ministry’s director of Special Needs, Sunday Hezekiah, the minister said the government had taken significant steps towards addressing the challenges confronting persons with disabilities.

The minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improving the welfare and inclusion of persons with disabilities.

“The Ministry fully recognises the fact that sustainable solutions can only be achieved through inclusive stakeholders’ collaboration. I therefore urge all participants to engage meaningfully and ensure that the outcomes of this phase one engagement translate into concrete actions that advance the rights-based humanitarian programming in Nigeria.

persons in these categories often suffered discrimination not only from the wider society but also within the disability community.

He said, “If generally persons with disabilities have been discriminated against, the minority among persons with disabilities will face double discrimination.”

Usman said the different categories of disabilities needed to be recognised in government policies and programmes, stressing that disability should not be understood only in terms of visible or physical disabilities.

According to him, many Nigerians were unaware of the diversity within the disability community, including persons who are Deaf, blind, affected by leprosy, intellectually disabled or living with psychosocial disabilities.

He said the forum was aimed at bringing government institutions and other stakeholders together to secure commitments towards implementing existing policies and programmes.

“We have a lot of policies and programmes for these people with disabilities, but what is our position? That is part of the reason why we are having this particular discussion,” he said.

“On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, I pledge our continued support and partnership with JONAPWD and other relevant stakeholders as we work together to build more inclusive, responsive and rights-driven humanitarian systems in Nigeria,” he added.

Also speaking, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, Mohammed Isa, said disability inclusion should not be viewed solely from the perspective of funding.

Isa acknowledged gaps in implementation but said that stronger collaboration among government agencies, development partners, civil society organisations, and organisations of persons with disabilities was necessary to address them.

He said the Federal Government had established a legal and institutional framework for disability inclusion through the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 and the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities.

Isa stated that the Bola Tinubu administration is now focused on implementation, noting that about 29 states have either enacted disability laws or established agencies responsible for persons with disabilities.

“We agree that there is a gap in the implementation. We cannot achieve implementation. That is the reason why we need a kind of multi-sectoral collaboration,” Isa said.

He said his office was mandated to work with ministries, departments and agencies, civil society organisations, development partners and sub-national governments to assess disability inclusion and promote equal opportunities.

Isa advocated for disability-inclusive budgeting across MDAs, saying the responsibility for inclusion should not be left to the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities alone.

“It is not about the allocation of the funding. It is about the commitment to implement,” he said.

Commenting, Executive Director of Spectrum Care, Reuben Ikepe Agbedi, said the RiA Project was designed to strengthen the capacity of persons with disabilities and their representative organisations to advocate for their rights.

He said Nigeria’s approach to disability inclusion had often focused on disabilities that were more visible, leaving persons with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities and Deaf persons facing significant barriers.

Ikepe cited education as one area where exclusion remained evident, saying some children with disabilities were still turned away from schools because teachers lacked the skills to meet their learning needs.

He called for increased teacher training and greater adaptation of mainstream schools to accommodate children with different types of disability.