TheCable

Chike Okogwu, founder of the Centre for Ability, Rehabilitation and Empowerment (CARE) has urged Bola Tinubu, president-elect, to set aside five percent appointments for people living with disabilities (PLWDs) in his cabinet.

Tinubu will be inaugurated on May 29 as the president of Nigeria.

In an open letter to the president-elect, Okogwu appealed to Tinubu to consider the request, noting that 30 million PLWDs in the country were hoping the incoming administration would be favourable to the group.

“Once again, on behalf of the 30 million persons with disabilities in Nigeria, I write you this third letter. The first was on 21st January 2022 and published in the Thisday Newspapers editorial and other notable publications. We welcome you back from your one-month rest abroad,” the letter reads.

“It is about one month away from your historic inauguration as Nigeria’s next president and as you are aware, Nigeria has a sizeable population of persons with disabilities (PLWDS) who require special attention and consideration from the government in order to achieve their full potential.

“It is within this context that I write on five key strategies that your incoming government can employ to support mainstreaming, accessibility, and inclusion of PLWDs in Nigeria and bring us to John Gaventa’s 3rd Face of Power or hegemony stage in his book ‘Power and Powerlessness’ where we allocate resources to everyone.

“Firstly, we need affirmative action policies that promote the employment of PWDs in both the public and private sectors, as well as incentives to encourage employers to hire PLWDs.  Five percent may be ministers (two at least) and advisers in the new cabinet must be PLWDs in accordance with the 2019 disability act.

Secondly, there is a need for policymakers to create and enforce disability standards that enhance public buildings’ accessibility. We need to ensure that public buildings, transportation systems, and services meet the accessibility requirements of PLWDs just like the NCAA and FAAN who, we must commend are doing a great job in the aviation sector.

“Thirdly, the government should prioritise disability-inclusive education through inclusive policies by the ministry of education, which will help to provide the practical educational infrastructure that promotes accessibility and supports the educational needs of PLWDs.

“Fourthly, the government should support and engage the vast knowledge bases of disabled people organisations, NGOs, and other bodies that provide services that promote the social and economic well-being of PWDs.

“Finally, the government should prioritize economic empowerment for people with disabilities by providing accessible loan opportunities to scale up their businesses and improve their self-employment abilities.”