Executive Secretary, National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), Hon. Ayuba Gufwan has advocated for inclusive development for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Nigeria at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
The Executive Secretary NCPWD, who spoke during a workshop marking the 2024 International Day of Persons with Disabilities celebration, said the PWDs Community in Nigeria is large – hence deserves being properly captured for inclusive development.
He noted that the need to mainstream the community among the non disability is very important to ensure inclusive development.
According to him, a community with an estimated 35 million persons in Nigeria is huge and should not be downplayed while planning for development. His words: ” I am happy to be part of this very important workshop. I must say that being here is important because the PWDs community in Nigeria is estimated to be 35 million, which is a population that is more than many countries in the world. It is higher than the population of the Gulf States put together. Therefore, we must realise that to have a population of 35 million persons with disabilities in a single country is huge, and what it means is that there is a need to do more for the community. PWDs need accessibility in buildings, road infrastructure, and a whole lot. This calls for urgent attention and intervention for the purpose of inclusive development.”
Continuing, he said, the task for inclusive development is for everyone within the development architecture.
Hon. Gufwan further emphasised NCPWD’s commitment to working with all development partners to meet and even surpass expectations.
He said Nigeria must begin to look at making adequate provisions for PWDs like their counterparts in developed economies that plan with PWDs in mind.
The Executive Secretary NCPWD further said barriers to accessibility for PWDs are real in Nigeria, which posses great challenges for their operations, hoping that something is done to address them.
Dr. Adebayo, a consultant with the NCPWD, commended UNODC for doing so much for the PWDs community and appreciated the efforts of the United Nations for coming up with a workshop of such magnitude.
He urged the UNODC to work on having a data that will capture the accurate numbers of persons with disabilities in clear terms like age, sex, young or old, and other forms of demography.
“There is need to work towards a detailed demographic data, which would include breakdowns on gender, age, and disability type. Data is essential to promoting meaningful inclusion and developing policies tailored towards the needs of PWDs.” He said.
He also called for an enhanced justice system that will guarantee justice for the PWDs.
The Country Director of UNODC, Cheikh Toure, said the workshop was meant for mainstreaming with emphasis on looking at ways for adequate accessibility and inclusion for PWDs.
He said for their 2025 plan, they will engage two interns from the PWDs fold into UNODC.
Also, he said they are interested in having PWDs that are officially registered in the academic community in Nigeria inculcated into the UNODC fold.
In a related development, the Executive Secretary commended the pragmatic initiative of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) for employing 3,000 PWDs in its recent skill acquisition and empowerment programme.
Speaking briefly at the official ceremony unveiling the employees at NDE training institute in Kuduru, Bwari Area Council Abuja, he said this will lift their status.
Hon. Gufwan said the training and grants are aimed at enabling PWDs to gain vocational skills, achieve financial independence, and foster entrepreneurship.
The Director General, NDE, Hon. Silas Agara said 73, 731 persons were employed in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope plan for employment generation and poverty alleviation.
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