Being Knowledgeable About The Discrimination Act, Makes It Easy To Implement- Gbajabiamila

The Albino Foundation Public Notice

By Ruby Leo and Oliver Nweke

The speaker of the House of Representative, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila has called on Nigerians to avail and equip themselves with the discrimination against Persons with disability prohibition act to enable the easy implementation of the act.

The speaker was represented by Hon Nkeiruka Onyejeocha ,the Deputy Chief Whip of the house of representative at a roundtable engagement with the house of representative committee on disabilities, National commission of persons with disabilities and the disability community on political participation of persons with disabilities at the Transcorp Hilton.

Gbajabiamila noted that people need to know what the act is all about, to push, for its implementation.

His words, “there are many laws and bills have been passed that has become law but if people do not know about them how can it be implemented. Implementation is about knowledge, do you know that this thing exists, and for the government that has the instrument to implement would do its part, but the citizen have to take it as a matter of right”.

“Once it is law and is implemented according to the law, the law does not obey anybody, it’s the people that need to obey the law. This event is a step in the right direction because I believe that this is a way of telling the public that we are because if you do not say that you are then nobody will say that you are, so this is a way to push it to have it implemented.”

“We are advocating that the public accept the bill and of course the public institutions should be able to provide all the assistance that they need, like putting elevators where they need to, making sure that the people that need wheel chair have access to the facilities they want to visit. They need to make public building accessible to every citizen of this country whether the person is disabled or not”.

Earlier the Chairman, house committee on disabilities, Princess Miriam Onuoha numerating some of the activities of the committee said that a disability trust fund was being advocated for meant to integrate persons with disability into the society.

According to her the disability inclusion into political activities and offices is a bill which is standing in the house, and is co-sponsored by the speaker and herself which has passed the second reading.

She explained that political inclusion of persons with disabilities into political spaces, is not just talking about involving persons with disabilities in political campaigns, but taking cognizance of the mandate of the bill when it becomes an act, for every governor or president to give a quota for appointment into such offices for Persons with disabilities and it becomes sacrosanct and a violation if not complied with.

She also said they have sent an appeal and advocacy to INEC to make it mandatory for political parties existing or those seeking to be registered to make it mandatory for them to have a quota for persons with disabilities in their electoral processes.

“the disability trust fund will aid the full integration of Persons with disability into the society through provision for their education, health care, social, economic and civil rights, this bill is currently awaiting second reading on the floor of the house’.

Mr Jakes Epelle, the founder of the Albino Foundation said that present house of representative has   shown how important disability issues and the community is to the house of representative.

He added that this particular assembly is the first to constitute a specific committee for persons with disabilities,  which he said was worthy of commendation as they have been engaging.

“They are the first committee that decided to come to an organization of persons with disabilities to pay a courtesy visit, which is quite humbling and shows how committed their committee are in the course of persons with disabilities.

He called for the x-ray of the disability bill, the constitution review and appealed to the house of representative members to  become their voice and amplify their desires.

“For instance in the issue of electoral view, there are a lot of gaps, a lot of issues that the disability community have raised, we believe that there is still an opportunity to influence the house of representative members that have been inaugurated to see how we can enshrine and mainstream some of those views in the current process.”.