By Ridwan Sulaiman Adeshina
![image](/2020/10/lawreport.jpg")
Introduction
![image](/2020/10/NWLRland.jpg")
If asked, who are the category of people that suffers most in
Nigeria, I would say, twice, that they are people living with
disabilities (PWDs). All over the world, there are over 1 billion
people living with some form of disability.1 Research
has shown that due to Boko Haram insurgency, the North-East hosts
the highest number of persons with disabilities in
Nigeria.2People living with disabilities are the most
vulnerable among all humans. They easily succumb to any form of
inconvenience unlike every other person that is well upright.
Majority of people living with disabilities live below the life
standard of which a normal human being should live. This has been
their lifestyles for long, most especially, in the Northern part of
the country.
In time of hatred, people living with disabilities (PWDs) are
those that suffer most, they have long been segregated from the
society, even some families despise their children with
disabilities. Even without economic recession or whatever, persons
with disabilities are more likely to experience extreme poverty in
Nigeria than those without a disability.3In view of the
status quo of people living with disabilities in Nigeria, it is
important to also check into their legal status. All human beings
are equal in dignity and rights and the Nigerian 1999 Constitution
forbids discrimination, but in reality, the highest form of
discrimination and segregation are been done to people with
disabilities, looking at their ways of life in the country. Thus,
this writer examines the legal status of people living with
disabilities and why the law has not been able to shield them from
all forms of embarrassment. The writer is also going make possible
recommendations which could help in changing the lifestyle of
people living with disabilities in the country.
Conceptual Clarification: Disability
A disability is any condition of the body or mind (impairment)
that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to
do certain activities (activity limitation) and interact with the
world around them (participation restrictions).4
Because of the nature of this research, the writer is not going
to dig deep into types of disability. However, it is pertinent to
know that, a significant proportion of disabilities are caused by
injuries including those which result from traffic crashes, falls,
burns, and acts of violence such as child abuse, youth violence,
intimate partner violence, and war and conflict.5 This
can be easily noticed as vast majority of people sitting on
wheelchairs were not born with broken spinal cords. Majority of
violent youths that engage in thuggery activities have also
paralyzed significant parts of their body, such as eyes, harm,
legs. This is also the case in the North-East where Boko Haram
operates on a full-time basis. The Boko Haram attacks which has
caused the death of thousands of Nigerians has also caused
thousands people to be disabled. Nevertheless, this cannot rebuke
the fact that people are also born with disabilities. Such as,
deaf, dumb, cripple, albinism etc. Science has claimed that these
birth defects may be caused by genetic problems, problems with
chromosomes, or environmental factors. 6
Legal Status of People Living With Disabilities
(PWDs)
It is apt to reinstate without any ambiguity that, by reality of
existence and by virtue of being born alive as a human being, PWDs
also enjoy fundamental rights as rights that are inalienable.
Regardless of the way they are been treated in the society, they
also enjoy all rights guaranteed under the Constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended.7These
rights include and not limited to, right to life, dignity of the
human person, personal liberty, freedom of religion, movement,
expression and to own property and freedom from discrimination. All
this rights are there to protect everyone including PWDs in the
country and no one has the right to willingly take it away from
anyone except as provided for under S. 35 of the CFRN, 1999 as
amended. They also enjoy the benefits of the fundamental objectives
of the government like education, security, good road, good health
facility etc.
However, if all these rights work very well and people without
disability are pleased with it, the rights still, cannot make life
easier for PWDs. Despite the provisions of the 1999 Constitution,
PWDs face wide-ranging human rights abuses including
institutionalization, isolation, stigma and discrimination, and
lack of access to health, education and employment
opportunities.8In 1993, during the military
regime, ‘Nigerians Living with Disability Decree’ was
promulgated to make life easier for PWDs.9 Despite that
decree which should serve as a precedent for the democratic
government, PWDs have been abandoned for years without any law to
change their status and make life more easier for them. The
democratic governments have failed for years to cater for the lives
of over 25 million Nigerians living with disabilities. Hence, left
them to swim in the pool of poverty, unemployment and
discrimination.
Nigeria ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of
People with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2007 and its Optional Protocol
in 2010.10 Since then, civil society groups and people
with disabilities have called on the government to put it into
practice.11 But lack of implementation or body that will
implement certain law will surely make such law impotent. On
January 23, 2019, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari signed into
law the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities
(Prohibition) Act, 2018, following 9 years of relentless advocacy
by disability rights groups and activists.12It is
important to note that Lagos state has made Special People’s Law
since 2011 and which also established Lagos State Office for
Disability Affairs.13
A careful study of the ‘Discrimination Against Persons with
Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018’ shows that the Act
criminalized all forms of discrimination against PWDs and also
criminalized inflicting any form on inconvenience on PWDs. Little
breakdown of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities
(Prohibition) Act, 2018 are:14
For an effective implementation of the Act, the Act establishes
‘National Commission For Persons with Disabilities’ with
responsibilities to promote the well-being of PWDs, including their
education by making available, scholarships for them, and also
admonish the society to change their orientation against them.
The Act criminalized all forms of discrimination against PWDs
and also placed fine of ‘one million naira’ on a corporate body and
‘hundred thousand naira’ or six months imprisonment on an
individual who discriminate against them. The victim of
discrimination can also sue in civil capacity.
The Act made it mandatory for every public places to be
accessible for PWDs, road, sidewalk, bridge etc. The Act also make
it mandatory that before a public structure plan is approved, it
must be in conformity with the building codes as not to inflict any
unnecessary inconvenience on PWDs and also put a fine of ‘one
million naira’ or 2years imprisonment or both on any officer who
approves any public structure that’s not in conformity with the
building code.
The Act allows any disabled person to notify appropriate
authorities on any existing structure or environment which he has
rights to access but due to his condition, he cannot access. And
such authority must, with immediate effect take action to that
effect, failure of which attract ‘ten thousand naira and five
thousand naira’ for corporate and individual body respectively.
Also with the option of six months imprisonment or both. The money
is to be paid to the complainant(disabled) for each day of
default.
In terms of transportation, Road, Sea, Railway and Airport, the
Act make it mandatory for people or organizations in charge to
provide easy access devoid of any stress for PWDs. Default of which
attracts fine or imprisonment.
The Act makes it a crime to employ, use on involve PWDs in
begging or parading them with the intent to solicit alms. Any
person who violates this is also liable to a fine of one hundred
thousand naira or six months imprisonment or both.
The access to education of PWDs is also guaranteed under the
Act, and the Act made it clear that education of PWDs shall be free
up to secondary level. The Act also provides for special facilities
for the effective study of PWDs, this facilities also include
teachers/lecturers that are good in that area.
The Act also provides for unfettered health facility for PWDs
with free treatment in public institutions for those with mental
disability.
Due to their vulnerability, the Act has made it compulsory for
every organization to consider them first, either in queue or in
term of risk. Failure of which attracts 50,000 or six months
imprisonment or both.
The Act makes it mandatory for all public organizations to have
at least, 5% of PWDs and also encourage their participation in
politics.
The Act has charged the Federal Ministry of Information with the
responsibility to make awareness regarding the rights, respect, and
dignity of PWDs.
This Act is a welcome development as it lifts up the status of
PWDs in the country. It will also make people aware of the risk and
consequences involved in discriminating against PWDs. But it is so
sad that effective implementation of laws in Nigeria cannot be
fully assured due to the high rate of corruption which has become
endemic in every public offices. It is also so sad that despite the
great benefits of this law, out of 36 states, only 10 states have
disability laws in Nigeria.15
Life and Experience of People Living
With Disabilities (PWDs)
It is not an exaggeration to say; the life of PWDs in Nigeria is
terrible. Though, there are laws, but the question is, how
effective are these laws? It has always been the tools of the rich
in the country.
Disabled people in Africa, including Nigeria, are usually
extremely poor, often living in rural and other areas where medical
and other services are scarce, or even totally absent, and where
disabilities are not detected in time. 16 The reason for
the high poverty rate among PWDs is not far-fetched; vast majority
of them are not educated, the employment rate is so poor, if at all
there is any reservations for them. Despite several laws in action,
PWDs face different kind of discriminations every day, from almost
everyone around them. Abuses and diabolic stories of the reason why
they were born disabled are what they hear. Only few of them who
are privileged to be born into rich families get support due to
parental influence.
It is so pathetic how majority of disabled people result in
begging on the roads in the North. It is even more worrisome that
they are sometimes transferred to other part of the Country, like
the South for this begging business. Most PWDs in the North have
actually looked down on themselves due to lack of support from
families. Some people will even refuse to give them money claiming
that disabled people begging are lazy, I wonder what kind of job
they have, that they didn’t offer them.
Sometimes, our opinions towards these people are wrong. In
reality, most people living without any disability derail and later
become internet fraudsters and criminals, this is just because most
of them have no family support or they are poor and believe
engaging in fraud is the only fastest way to eliminate poverty. And
someone with disability whose parents are poor and receives no
support from government might also think that, instead of him
starving himself to death, he should start begging, at least, for
sustenance. When talking of free access to education and good
health services, the poor PWDs do not enjoy this, because there are
no good health facilities in Nigeria. The outbreak of the Corona
Virus exposed the country’s critically ill health system. Without
regret, our health facilities are poor, the only reason why rich
people seek medical attention abroad.
Education in Nigeria is something that no reasonable Nigerian
will proud of. The condition of our schools are poor due to lack of
proper funding, this has made education to be expensive. Good and
fast education in Nigeria is expensive and special schools for PWDs
are even more expensive. The special materials that are been used
to teach PWDs is not something anyone could just afford, an
ordinary pencil for the blind is 5,000. Also, not all our
universities are suitable for people with disabilities. In fact,
most of our universities lecture theaters are not accessible for
persons on wheelchair, and persons using walking stick will have to
undergo unnecessary stress and frustration while climbing the
steps. All this, stress, expenses and unnecessary discrimination
from students and teachers has made education more expensive for
people with disabilities.
UNESCO reported that 90 per cent of children with disabilities
in developing countries do not attend school.17 This is
due to lack of efficient support from government. If a government
can use millions of naira to support and sponsor repentant members
of a group that has killed and disabled thousands of Nigerians, I
wonder what makes it difficult for them to also cater for their
victims and people living with disabilities. It is right to say
that 90% of PWDs in Nigeria are extremely poor without education,
good health facilities, and employment, due to the negligence of
the government, and its inability to fully implement the Law it
enacted and lack of proper awareness.
Conclusion
The vulnerability of PWDs and their inability to participate
fully in social, economic and political life has been the major
problem facing them. The reason for this are lack of good
education, health facilities and government support which has
caused majority of them to be extremely poor. The Federal
Government of Nigeria signed into law, Discrimination Against
Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act which criminalized all
forms of discrimination and unnecessary hardship against PWDs. The
law has blessed PWDs with a lot of privileges and opportunities
that are needed for them to live a better life. But it seems to the
writer that, majority, if not all PWDs are still living in the
opposite of what the law has blessed them with.
Recommendations
In order to uplift the status of PWDs in Nigeria;
There is need for Federal Government and State Governments to
make full implementation of the laws so as to close the gap between
the legal status and the opposite life which PWDs live.
There is need for proper and effective awareness of the rights
of PWDs in line with the Provisions of Discrimination Against
Persons with Disability (Prohibition) Act, 2018. Thus, everyone
should be aware of the risk in wrongly dealing with PWDs.
The Government should also make education free at all levels for
PWDs and they should be considered first before any other person.
This will not only make life easier for them, it will also
encourage the poor among them. The government should build more
public special schools that will be fully funded as to make access
to education easier for them.
Health is wealth, there should be free access to hospitals for
PWDs and our hospitals should be well equipped with all the
necessary equipment’s. Health practitioners should also not be
reluctant in attending to PWDs. For someone who is not disabled,
seeing a Doctor or specialist at general hospitals is so difficult
and the way some of the workers neglect patients is worrisome. The
way and manner in which health practitioner’s deal with PWDs should
be strictly regulated with penalties involved.
Vocational training and seminars should be organized for PWDs
from time to time. This will gradually create enlightenment among
them. The employment rate of PWDs should also be strictly
implemented.
Written By Ridwan Sulaiman Adeshina,
Email: Sulaimanridwan99@gmail.com,
08067325945
References
- World Health Organization, ‘Disability and Health’ (1 December
2020) <https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/disability-and-health[1]> accessed January 1
2021 - Grassroots Researchers Association, ‘They Called Us Senseless
Beggars: Challenges of Persons with Disabilities in North-Eastern
Nigeria’ p5 <https://www.grassrootresearchers.org/challenges-of-persons-with-disabilities-in-north-eastern-nigeria/[2]> accessed January 1
2023. - Rosa Maria M. and Varalakshmi Vemuru, ‘Social inclusion of
persons with disabilities in Nigeria: Challenges and opportunities’
(29 September 2020) <https://blogs.worldbank.org/nasikiliza/social-inclusion-persons-disabilities-nigeria-challenges-and-opportunities[3]> accessed January 1
2021 - Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, ‘Impairments,
Activity Limitations, and Participation Restrictions’(16 September
2020) <https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/disability.html[4]> accessed January 1
2021 - World Health Organization, ‘Injury-related disability and
rehabilitation’<https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/disability/en/[5]>accessed January 1
2021 - John P Cunha: ‘Birth defects fact’ <https://www.medicinenet.com/birth_defects/article.htm[6]> accessed January 1
2021 - Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as
amended) CAP C23, LFN 2004; Chapter II - Ibid p46 n2
- Ibid p43
- Anietie Ewang, ‘Nigeria passes disability rights law’ (25
January2019) EJTL <https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/01/25/nigeria-passes-disability-rights-law[7]> accessed January 2
2021 - Ibid
- Ibid
- The Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs, EJTL <https://lasoda.lagosstate.gov.ng/[8]> accessed January 2
2021 - Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition)
Act, 2018 - Inemesit Akpan-Nsoh, ‘PWDs want domestication
of disability act in all states’ The Guardian (Lagos, 17
March 2020) <https://www.google.com/amp/s/guardian.ng/news/pwds-want-domestication-of-disability-act-in-all-states/amp[9]> accessed January 3
2021 - Ibid p17 n2
- Ibid p19
About the writer: Ridwan Sulaiman Adeshina is a 200level law
student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He also has Diploma in
Law from the same Institution. Adeshina loves writing a lot,
including poem. He likes making research and engage himself
in academic discussions. He also loves traveling and meeting new
people. His free time are best used writing or reading academic
books.
By Ridwan Sulaiman Adeshina
Introduction
If asked, who are the category of people that suffers most in
Nigeria, I would say, twice, that they are people living with
disabilities (PWDs). All over the world, there are over 1 billion
people living with some form of disability.1 Research
has shown that due to Boko Haram insurgency, the North-East hosts
the highest number of persons with disabilities in
Nigeria.2People living with disabilities are the most
vulnerable among all humans. They easily succumb to any form of
inconvenience unlike every other person that is well upright.
Majority of people living with disabilities live below the life
standard of which a normal human being should live. This has been
their lifestyles for long, most especially, in the Northern part of
the country.
In time of hatred, people living with disabilities (PWDs) are
those that suffer most, they have long been segregated from the
society, even some families despise their children with
disabilities. Even without economic recession or whatever, persons
with disabilities are more likely to experience extreme poverty in
Nigeria than those without a disability.3In view of the
status quo of people living with disabilities in Nigeria, it is
important to also check into their legal status. All human beings
are equal in dignity and rights and the Nigerian 1999 Constitution
forbids discrimination, but in reality, the highest form of
discrimination and segregation are been done to people with
disabilities, looking at their ways of life in the country. Thus,
this writer examines the legal status of people living with
disabilities and why the law has not been able to shield them from
all forms of embarrassment. The writer is also going make possible
recommendations which could help in changing the lifestyle of
people living with disabilities in the country.
Conceptual Clarification: Disability
A disability is any condition of the body or mind (impairment)
that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to
do certain activities (activity limitation) and interact with the
world around them (participation restrictions).4
Because of the nature of this research, the writer is not going
to dig deep into types of disability. However, it is pertinent to
know that, a significant proportion of disabilities are caused by
injuries including those which result from traffic crashes, falls,
burns, and acts of violence such as child abuse, youth violence,
intimate partner violence, and war and conflict.5 This
can be easily noticed as vast majority of people sitting on
wheelchairs were not born with broken spinal cords. Majority of
violent youths that engage in thuggery activities have also
paralyzed significant parts of their body, such as eyes, harm,
legs. This is also the case in the North-East where Boko Haram
operates on a full-time basis. The Boko Haram attacks which has
caused the death of thousands of Nigerians has also caused
thousands people to be disabled. Nevertheless, this cannot rebuke
the fact that people are also born with disabilities. Such as,
deaf, dumb, cripple, albinism etc. Science has claimed that these
birth defects may be caused by genetic problems, problems with
chromosomes, or environmental factors. 6
Legal Status of People Living With Disabilities
(PWDs)
It is apt to reinstate without any ambiguity that, by reality of
existence and by virtue of being born alive as a human being, PWDs
also enjoy fundamental rights as rights that are inalienable.
Regardless of the way they are been treated in the society, they
also enjoy all rights guaranteed under the Constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended.7These
rights include and not limited to, right to life, dignity of the
human person, personal liberty, freedom of religion, movement,
expression and to own property and freedom from discrimination. All
this rights are there to protect everyone including PWDs in the
country and no one has the right to willingly take it away from
anyone except as provided for under S. 35 of the CFRN, 1999 as
amended. They also enjoy the benefits of the fundamental objectives
of the government like education, security, good road, good health
facility etc.
However, if all these rights work very well and people without
disability are pleased with it, the rights still, cannot make life
easier for PWDs. Despite the provisions of the 1999 Constitution,
PWDs face wide-ranging human rights abuses including
institutionalization, isolation, stigma and discrimination, and
lack of access to health, education and employment
opportunities.8In 1993, during the military
regime, ‘Nigerians Living with Disability Decree’ was
promulgated to make life easier for PWDs.9 Despite that
decree which should serve as a precedent for the democratic
government, PWDs have been abandoned for years without any law to
change their status and make life more easier for them. The
democratic governments have failed for years to cater for the lives
of over 25 million Nigerians living with disabilities. Hence, left
them to swim in the pool of poverty, unemployment and
discrimination.
Nigeria ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of
People with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2007 and its Optional Protocol
in 2010.10 Since then, civil society groups and people
with disabilities have called on the government to put it into
practice.11 But lack of implementation or body that will
implement certain law will surely make such law impotent. On
January 23, 2019, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari signed into
law the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities
(Prohibition) Act, 2018, following 9 years of relentless advocacy
by disability rights groups and activists.12It is
important to note that Lagos state has made Special People’s Law
since 2011 and which also established Lagos State Office for
Disability Affairs.13
A careful study of the ‘Discrimination Against Persons with
Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018’ shows that the Act
criminalized all forms of discrimination against PWDs and also
criminalized inflicting any form on inconvenience on PWDs. Little
breakdown of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities
(Prohibition) Act, 2018 are:14
For an effective implementation of the Act, the Act establishes
‘National Commission For Persons with Disabilities’ with
responsibilities to promote the well-being of PWDs, including their
education by making available, scholarships for them, and also
admonish the society to change their orientation against them.
The Act criminalized all forms of discrimination against PWDs
and also placed fine of ‘one million naira’ on a corporate body and
‘hundred thousand naira’ or six months imprisonment on an
individual who discriminate against them. The victim of
discrimination can also sue in civil capacity.
The Act made it mandatory for every public places to be
accessible for PWDs, road, sidewalk, bridge etc. The Act also make
it mandatory that before a public structure plan is approved, it
must be in conformity with the building codes as not to inflict any
unnecessary inconvenience on PWDs and also put a fine of ‘one
million naira’ or 2years imprisonment or both on any officer who
approves any public structure that’s not in conformity with the
building code.
The Act allows any disabled person to notify appropriate
authorities on any existing structure or environment which he has
rights to access but due to his condition, he cannot access. And
such authority must, with immediate effect take action to that
effect, failure of which attract ‘ten thousand naira and five
thousand naira’ for corporate and individual body respectively.
Also with the option of six months imprisonment or both. The money
is to be paid to the complainant(disabled) for each day of
default.
In terms of transportation, Road, Sea, Railway and Airport, the
Act make it mandatory for people or organizations in charge to
provide easy access devoid of any stress for PWDs. Default of which
attracts fine or imprisonment.
The Act makes it a crime to employ, use on involve PWDs in
begging or parading them with the intent to solicit alms. Any
person who violates this is also liable to a fine of one hundred
thousand naira or six months imprisonment or both.
The access to education of PWDs is also guaranteed under the
Act, and the Act made it clear that education of PWDs shall be free
up to secondary level. The Act also provides for special facilities
for the effective study of PWDs, this facilities also include
teachers/lecturers that are good in that area.
The Act also provides for unfettered health facility for PWDs
with free treatment in public institutions for those with mental
disability.
Due to their vulnerability, the Act has made it compulsory for
every organization to consider them first, either in queue or in
term of risk. Failure of which attracts 50,000 or six months
imprisonment or both.
The Act makes it mandatory for all public organizations to have
at least, 5% of PWDs and also encourage their participation in
politics.
The Act has charged the Federal Ministry of Information with the
responsibility to make awareness regarding the rights, respect, and
dignity of PWDs.
This Act is a welcome development as it lifts up the status of
PWDs in the country. It will also make people aware of the risk and
consequences involved in discriminating against PWDs. But it is so
sad that effective implementation of laws in Nigeria cannot be
fully assured due to the high rate of corruption which has become
endemic in every public offices. It is also so sad that despite the
great benefits of this law, out of 36 states, only 10 states have
disability laws in Nigeria.15
Life and Experience of People Living
With Disabilities (PWDs)
It is not an exaggeration to say; the life of PWDs in Nigeria is
terrible. Though, there are laws, but the question is, how
effective are these laws? It has always been the tools of the rich
in the country.
Disabled people in Africa, including Nigeria, are usually
extremely poor, often living in rural and other areas where medical
and other services are scarce, or even totally absent, and where
disabilities are not detected in time. 16 The reason for
the high poverty rate among PWDs is not far-fetched; vast majority
of them are not educated, the employment rate is so poor, if at all
there is any reservations for them. Despite several laws in action,
PWDs face different kind of discriminations every day, from almost
everyone around them. Abuses and diabolic stories of the reason why
they were born disabled are what they hear. Only few of them who
are privileged to be born into rich families get support due to
parental influence.
It is so pathetic how majority of disabled people result in
begging on the roads in the North. It is even more worrisome that
they are sometimes transferred to other part of the Country, like
the South for this begging business. Most PWDs in the North have
actually looked down on themselves due to lack of support from
families. Some people will even refuse to give them money claiming
that disabled people begging are lazy, I wonder what kind of job
they have, that they didn’t offer them.
Sometimes, our opinions towards these people are wrong. In
reality, most people living without any disability derail and later
become internet fraudsters and criminals, this is just because most
of them have no family support or they are poor and believe
engaging in fraud is the only fastest way to eliminate poverty. And
someone with disability whose parents are poor and receives no
support from government might also think that, instead of him
starving himself to death, he should start begging, at least, for
sustenance. When talking of free access to education and good
health services, the poor PWDs do not enjoy this, because there are
no good health facilities in Nigeria. The outbreak of the Corona
Virus exposed the country’s critically ill health system. Without
regret, our health facilities are poor, the only reason why rich
people seek medical attention abroad.
Education in Nigeria is something that no reasonable Nigerian
will proud of. The condition of our schools are poor due to lack of
proper funding, this has made education to be expensive. Good and
fast education in Nigeria is expensive and special schools for PWDs
are even more expensive. The special materials that are been used
to teach PWDs is not something anyone could just afford, an
ordinary pencil for the blind is 5,000. Also, not all our
universities are suitable for people with disabilities. In fact,
most of our universities lecture theaters are not accessible for
persons on wheelchair, and persons using walking stick will have to
undergo unnecessary stress and frustration while climbing the
steps. All this, stress, expenses and unnecessary discrimination
from students and teachers has made education more expensive for
people with disabilities.
UNESCO reported that 90 per cent of children with disabilities
in developing countries do not attend school.17 This is
due to lack of efficient support from government. If a government
can use millions of naira to support and sponsor repentant members
of a group that has killed and disabled thousands of Nigerians, I
wonder what makes it difficult for them to also cater for their
victims and people living with disabilities. It is right to say
that 90% of PWDs in Nigeria are extremely poor without education,
good health facilities, and employment, due to the negligence of
the government, and its inability to fully implement the Law it
enacted and lack of proper awareness.
Conclusion
The vulnerability of PWDs and their inability to participate
fully in social, economic and political life has been the major
problem facing them. The reason for this are lack of good
education, health facilities and government support which has
caused majority of them to be extremely poor. The Federal
Government of Nigeria signed into law, Discrimination Against
Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act which criminalized all
forms of discrimination and unnecessary hardship against PWDs. The
law has blessed PWDs with a lot of privileges and opportunities
that are needed for them to live a better life. But it seems to the
writer that, majority, if not all PWDs are still living in the
opposite of what the law has blessed them with.
Recommendations
In order to uplift the status of PWDs in Nigeria;
There is need for Federal Government and State Governments to
make full implementation of the laws so as to close the gap between
the legal status and the opposite life which PWDs live.
There is need for proper and effective awareness of the rights
of PWDs in line with the Provisions of Discrimination Against
Persons with Disability (Prohibition) Act, 2018. Thus, everyone
should be aware of the risk in wrongly dealing with PWDs.
The Government should also make education free at all levels for
PWDs and they should be considered first before any other person.
This will not only make life easier for them, it will also
encourage the poor among them. The government should build more
public special schools that will be fully funded as to make access
to education easier for them.
Health is wealth, there should be free access to hospitals for
PWDs and our hospitals should be well equipped with all the
necessary equipment’s. Health practitioners should also not be
reluctant in attending to PWDs. For someone who is not disabled,
seeing a Doctor or specialist at general hospitals is so difficult
and the way some of the workers neglect patients is worrisome. The
way and manner in which health practitioner’s deal with PWDs should
be strictly regulated with penalties involved.
Vocational training and seminars should be organized for PWDs
from time to time. This will gradually create enlightenment among
them. The employment rate of PWDs should also be strictly
implemented.
Written By Ridwan Sulaiman Adeshina,
Email: Sulaimanridwan99@gmail.com,
08067325945
References
- World Health Organization, ‘Disability and Health’ (1 December
2020) <https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/disability-and-health[1]> accessed January 1
2021 - Grassroots Researchers Association, ‘They Called Us Senseless
Beggars: Challenges of Persons with Disabilities in North-Eastern
Nigeria’ p5 <https://www.grassrootresearchers.org/challenges-of-persons-with-disabilities-in-north-eastern-nigeria/[2]> accessed January 1
2023. - Rosa Maria M. and Varalakshmi Vemuru, ‘Social inclusion of
persons with disabilities in Nigeria: Challenges and opportunities’
(29 September 2020) <https://blogs.worldbank.org/nasikiliza/social-inclusion-persons-disabilities-nigeria-challenges-and-opportunities[3]> accessed January 1
2021 - Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, ‘Impairments,
Activity Limitations, and Participation Restrictions’(16 September
2020) <https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/disability.html[4]> accessed January 1
2021 - World Health Organization, ‘Injury-related disability and
rehabilitation’<https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/disability/en/[5]>accessed January 1
2021 - John P Cunha: ‘Birth defects fact’ <https://www.medicinenet.com/birth_defects/article.htm[6]> accessed January 1
2021 - Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as
amended) CAP C23, LFN 2004; Chapter II - Ibid p46 n2
- Ibid p43
- Anietie Ewang, ‘Nigeria passes disability rights law’ (25
January2019) EJTL <https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/01/25/nigeria-passes-disability-rights-law[7]> accessed January 2
2021 - Ibid
- Ibid
- The Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs, EJTL <https://lasoda.lagosstate.gov.ng/[8]> accessed January 2
2021 - Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition)
Act, 2018 - Inemesit Akpan-Nsoh, ‘PWDs want domestication
of disability act in all states’ The Guardian (Lagos, 17
March 2020) <https://www.google.com/amp/s/guardian.ng/news/pwds-want-domestication-of-disability-act-in-all-states/amp[9]> accessed January 3
2021 - Ibid p17 n2
- Ibid p19
About the writer: Ridwan Sulaiman Adeshina is a 200level law
student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He also has Diploma in
Law from the same Institution. Adeshina loves writing a lot,
including poem. He likes making research and engage himself
in academic discussions. He also loves traveling and meeting new
people. His free time are best used writing or reading academic
books.