Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq, has stated that persons living with disabilities (PLWDs) were very important to the socio-economic development of the country and that the ministry will ensure that the provisions of the Prohibition on Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Act are implemented.
In a statement made available to Blueprint in Abuja Monday, was signed by the ministry’s assistant director of Press, Rhoda Ishaku Iliya, the minister stated this during a meeting with the visiting delegation of the British Council, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (ROLAC), in Abuja.
She said that despite their challenges, PLWDs have special abilities and such people would need the support and encouragement of all stakeholders to make their impact felt in the society.
She said: “The federal government has already put in place measures to support PLWDs through the enactment of the Act on the Prohibition on Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities. A parliament for PLWDs has been inaugurated and efforts are ongoing to establish a commission that will implement the provisions of the Act. We are going to advocate to ensure that the provisions of the Act are implemented and give voice to the voiceless.”
The minster pledged to lend her voice to the creation of the Commission and implementation of the Act at all fora.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Priscilla Ankut, said they were in the ministry to brief the minister on the programmes and activities of the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (ROLAC) programme, funded by the European Union.
She added that the programme has a four-year life span and two and half years have already been spent, revealing that the programme is being implemented in five states, including: Kano, Adamawa, Lagos, Anambra, Edo, as well as in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
She noted that the programme works through a number of components implemented in the states, but two areas of interest to the ministry are: the implementation of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law, implemented by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), and the implementation of the Prohibition on Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities Act.
She disclosed ROLAC’s interest in working closely with the ministry and solicited the minister’s support in becoming a powerful champion on disabilities’ issues in the country.
She also requested for the establishment of a counselling centre for people with disabilities in the Ministry and in all the Area Councils of the FCT, where people could seek counselling support, identifying that as one of the areas already covered in the work plan of ROLAC.
To achieve this, she said there was need for the allocation of space for social workers and counsellors, even as she advocated for the development of disabilities employment policies with frameworks and guidelines on how to improve on the employment of people with disabilities.
She expressed the expectations of ROLAC to work with the Ministry to come up with such templates.
