House Of Reps To Probe Disability Act Violations By MDAs, Others

The House of Representatives, on Tuesday, initiated a probe into the alleged non-compliance with the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Act 2018, focusing on the accessibility of public buildings across the nation.

LEADERSHIP reports that the House of Representatives expressed displeasure over the non-implementation of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disability (Prohibition) Act 2018, by Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of government, including the private sector.

The House also asked its relevant committees to investigate approvals of building plans by regulatory authorities without provisions for accessibility facilities for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).

The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion by the lawmakers at the House plenary.

Leading the debate on the motion, chairman of the House Committee on Disability Matters, Bashiru Dawodu, described a public building as a building made available for the use of members of the public whether owned by the government or private entities as provided for in section 57 of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disability (Prohibition) Act 2018.

Dawodu emphasised that sections 3 and 4 of the Disability Act provide that a person with disability has the right to access the physical environment and public buildings on an equal basis with others, including road sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, elevators, crutches, and toilet facilities to make them accessible to and usable by persons with disability.

He mentioned that even after the timeframe for making adjustments to the buildings has passed, individuals with disabilities were still unable to enter public buildings.

LEADERSHIP recalls that the Disability Act was passed and signed into law in 2018.

The law prescribed a five-year transition period within which public buildings were to be redesigned to provide easy access to persons with disabilities beginning in January 2019.

The five-year transition period expired in January 2024.

Dawodu noted that the failure to make public buildings accessible to Persons with Disability prevents their inclusion and full integration into Nigerian society.