The Centre for Citizens with Disabilities has commended the All Progressives Congress for the election of Mr Tolu Bankole (Ogun State Chapter) as Leader of Persons with Disabilities, and six other PWD zonal leaders at the recently concluded National Convention of the party.
The CCD is a not-for-profit and foremost human rights organisation for persons with disabilities, primarily with the objective of working to promote inclusion, participation, access, and the mainstreaming of issues of critical concern for citizens with disabilities in the programmes and activities of state and non-state institutions.
”We congratulate the seven PWDs elected to the National Working Committee of the APC. By this singular act, the APC has once again demonstrated that the inclusion of citizens with disabilities in the party hierarchy and affairs is profitable if we must experience inclusive good governance in Nigeria,” the CCD said in a press release signed by its Executive Director, David O. Anyaele, and made available to The PUNCH on Wednesday.
The group noted a critical example of how to implement Section 30 of the Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 by political parties, which provides that persons with disabilities shall be fully encouraged to participate in politics and public life and that government shall actively promote an environment in which persons with disabilities could effectively and fully participate in activities and administration of political parties.
”It is now imperative that other political parties emulate the APC in the integration of vulnerable groups particularly persons with disabilities in political party activities. The APC was able to achieve this because it is in their party constitution,” it stated.
The NGO carefully established the fact that the inclusion of the PWDs in the party’s National Working Committee was not a charity, but a fundamental right of the party members guaranteed by the laws of the land.
Regrettably, it described as ”worrisome”, the fact that 15 out of the 18 political parties’ constitutions in Nigeria have no constitutional provision for the election of citizens with disabilities into the party hierarchy.
”We, therefore, call on the newly elected APC PWD leaders to take advantage of their positions to ensure that their party goes beyond electing PWDs party leaders to the appointment of PWDs as members of the Federal Executive Council and heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of Governments at all levels in Nigeria,” it said, stressing that as of today, the MDAs of the Federal Government in Nigeria are yet ”struggling to implement the National Disability Act”.
”Now that the Convention is over, we are requesting the ES to focus on delivering the mandate of the NCPWD to ensure the attainment of the purpose of the Commission.
The NGO cited the primary purpose of the NCPWD as ensuring ”the full integration of persons with disabilities into society, with the responsibilities for their education, healthcare, and the protection of their social, economic, and civic rights”.
”We would like to reassure the leadership of the NCPWD of CCD’s readiness to support the Commission in the achievement of its goals and mandate for the benefit of more than 31 million Nigerians with disabilities,” the statement added.
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