They made the call on Wednesday at a one-day consultation on the mid-term review of disability inclusion in the implementation of SDGs organised by Sightsavers Nigeria in Abuja.
The National President of the Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities, Dr Abdullahi Usman, said there is a need to bridge disability gaps and promote good governance.
“It is important to note that building an inclusive society goes beyond preparing PWDs for the workspace or providing them with skills and getting members of the public ready to receive them as an integral part of the society.
“We are appealing to all relevant stakeholders both in the public and private sector to accelerate action on the SDGs and ensure inclusion for PWDs. We all have equal rights to education, employment opportunities, and health care, and the rights to have a say in the decisions that affect our lives,” he said.
According to him, Nigeria has an estimate of over 30 million PWDs, who are being marginalised on the grounds of gender, poverty, age, or other factors, and their rights are often denied because of stigmatisation and discrimination.
Meanwhile, Sightsavers Country Advocacy Coordinator, Esther Bature, said the forum was for PWDs in Nigeria to review the mid-term implementation of disability inclusion in the SDGs.
Bature explained that the forthcoming SDG summit, as part of the United Nations General Assembly scheduled for the 18th and 19th, was an opportunity for the voices of PWDs in Nigeria to be heard in the implementation of inclusive SDGs.
“This is an extraordinary opportunity for the voices of PWDs to be heard in the highest echelon. So we work with the JONAPWD to mobilise their members across the geopolitical zones across disability clusters to come together and hold a consultation about the SDG implementation at the grassroots from their perspective.
“As PWDs, are they being carried along? Is the SDG implementation inclusive? this is to ensure that recommendations be made to our government so that when they go to the SDGs Summit, they will make inclusive commitments,” she said.
According to her, Sightsavers has collaborated with the Office of Senior Special Adviser to the President on SDGs for the Voluntary National Review.
The Deputy Director of the OSSAP-SDGs, Dr Zakariya Mohammed, said the meeting was crucial for ensuring inclusion in the implementation of the SDGs for PWDs.
