By Ishaq Dan-Imam
The Disability Community in Kogi State, North Central Nigeria, has presented a Charter of Demands to the government of Kogi State, aimed at sustainable disability inclusion.
The community is seeking inclusion in budgeting process to strengthen the inclusion and full participation of persons with disabilities (PWDs) and their organizations in government planning and budgeting in the state.
The Disability Community in the state under the aegis of Kogi State Chapter of national association of persons with physical Disability (NAPWPD), and the national Secretariat of the body made the public presentation of the ‘Charter of Demands’ to the state On Friday, at Kogi State Office For Disability Affairs (KOSODA).
At the public presentation of the state Disability Charter of Demands, the Disability Community in the state said : “We, the people with disabilities, assembled in Lokoja, from 15th to 16th of January, 2024, present this Charter of Demands on the rights of persons with disabilities to inclusive budgeting and development; developed through a consultative process, involving representatives of all clusters and associations of persons with disabilities from across the 21 Local Government Areas of the state.”
Accordingly, the group said, all demands presented were endorsed by all members of the Disability Community and the Kogi State Office For Disability Affairs.
Barrister Yusuf Iyodo, a PWDs rights activist, said the PWDs Community in Kogi State demands amendments to the state public finance management law, state procurement act, full implementation of the provisions of Kogi State Disability law, and inclusion of disability equity issues in the state 32-years development plan to bring about effective disability inclusion policies in the state in line with the United Nations convention on rights of persons with disability (UNCRPD) and the national disability act, domesticated in the state.
” In the area of education, the group asks the state government to set up Education Assessment and Resource Services (EARS) to cater for peculiarities of learners with disabilities, while it advocates an immediate budgetary commitment of at least 2.5 per cent of GDP towards disability inclusion endeavours in the state,” Iyodo said.
According to the document, the principle of ‘non-retrogression’ had been applied in articulating the disability demands with a view to preventing “disproportionate and arbitrary cuts in budgetary allocations to disability specific projects in the state.”
Kogi State chairman of NAPWPD, Comrade Hassan Sule Destiny, appealed to Kogi State government to ensure that persons with disabilities benefit maximally from resource allocation and unhindered participation in Kogi State growth and development.
Hassan Destiny, also called on Kogi State government to increase its disability responsiveness by adding disability inclusion in the annual performance agreements of accounting officers and CAOs in line with the group demands in view of the extra costs faced by persons with disabilities in the state.
The Disability Community in the state then called Kogi State government to ensure that the provision of essential services such as education, healthcare, water and sanitation, housing and employment reach people with disabilities in the state.
In his remarks, the national president of NAPWPD, Comrade Ridwanu Abdulllahi, called on the PWDs stakeholders in the state to constantly engage government officials for policy dialogue on disability inclusion in the state.
The National Secretary of the association , Comrade Bisong Ignatius, and a development consultant to NAPWPD, Mr. Josiah Achimugu, the lead facilitator at the training session on CRPD compliant budgeting and advocacy, urged the PWDs in the state to sustain the momentum of struggle for disability inclusion.
They also called on Kogi State government to complete the inclusive education policy and implement a time-bound plan for the transition from ‘special’ to ‘Inclusive’ education for all learners with disabilities.
Responding on behalf of Kogi State government, Acting Executive Secretary of Kogi State Office For Disability Affairs (KOSODA), Mrs. Lydia O. Fadamijo, expressed delight with the disability-inclusivity of the state government, which had led to the passage into law of the Kogi State Disability law 2022, establishment of the Kogi State Office For Disability Affairs (KOSODA), and budgetary allocations to the agency in the past fiscal years.
Fadamijo, said these were among the progress so far achieved in the state with regards to disability inclusion as the past administration of former Governor Yahaya Bello’s posture on disability inclusion had given the leeway to Disability activism, which according to her, paved the way for the clamour for disability friendly policies in the state.
Fadamijo said KOSODA would lead efforts to develop Kogi State Disability-inlusive planning guidelines to ensure all sectors in the state comply with the requirements of the guidelines on Cross – cutting disability issues, while the agency intensifies effort to ensure the MDAs and LGAs in the state comply with the planning guidelines.
Fadamijo added that KOSODA would continue to work hard with relevant agencies and stakeholders to raise awareness in the public sector about necessity of disability inclusion in government business in the state.
A two-day capacity building workshop for persons with disabilities in Kogi State on the exigencies of CRPD-Compliant budgeting and advocacy supported by the US-Based Disability Rights Fund, highlighted the imperative of budget tracking and understanding of the budget circle towards inclusive budgeting in the state.
The workshop featured focus group discussions, Knowledge on budget advocacy and analysis with the participants drawn from across the disability clusters in the state.(vitalnewsngr.com)
