Now since January 2015, this Bill (Disability Bill) was submitted to the President for assent, and this is 3 years after, why the delay?
Mr Anyaele: We are really concerned because the Presidency could not return the bill back to the National assembly or highlighting any area of disagreement. That give us a very big concern because from the feedbacks we’ve gathered both from the ministries, departments and agencies, they were in conformity with the provisions of the Bill. However, the denial of assent by the then President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan set the whole process backward and this led to the commencement of a new procedure at the National Assembly, because by reason of not signing that bill into law, that session of the National Assembly have come and gone. A new government is also in place.
For us to go back to the National Assembly to start another process of requesting for passage of the disability bill. This made it the third time the national assembly will pass the disability bill. The National Assembly has passed different versions of the Disability Bill. To the extent that former President Goodluck Jonathan, denied assent in 2011, in 2015 he also denied assent.
And this made the disability bill to be the most expensive bill in Nigeria, Not only in Nigeria, the most expensive bill on disability on the face of the earth. We thank the current section of the National assembly for taking appropriate measure to pass the disability bill. What we asking them is that they should do the needful because what this means is that anytime there is no bill that protect citizens with disabilities, it denies them opportunities to participate in economic activities.
What do you hope to achieve with this bill when it’s passed. Will it ameliorate all the challenges those with disabilities are facing currently? What are the components of the Bill?
Mr Anyaele: The bill is rich in such a way that it made provisions that will enhance the citizen with disabilities to participate in economic activities. It prohibits discrimination on the grounds of disability because one of the key problems that people with disabilities face in this country is issue of the discrimination.
Recognizing that section 42 of the Nigerian Constitution, criminalises discrimination on different grounds, but silent on the ground of disability. That is why you see both states and non-state answers roll out their goods and services on such a way that it decriminalizes people with disabilities. And there is no legal framework that protects or create atmosphere for people with disabilities to demand for their rights.
This bill made provision for access to public infrastructure. That is to say, where government, where individuals are erecting any infrastructure that is meant for the public, it must be designed in a disability friendly manner. That is to say, there should be ram, there should be elevator
But so far, from the public places you’ve visited, even the private offices as well, are there provisions that cater for such?
Mr Anyaele: for now, let’s look at the survey we conducted on government infrastructure in cities and Abuja, we discovered that virtually all federal government infrastructures are not acceptable to people with disabilities. In particular, the Federal Secretariat Abuja and the Ministry of Women Affairs in Abuja are not also acceptable to people with disabilities. And Ministry of Women Affairs is the agency that manages the disabilities issues in Nigeria. So what we are trying to say in particular is that government on itself is not acceptable to people with disabilities.
If you go to the National Assembly, the same experience, even the office of the governors, to whom it may concern you may think of, they are not acceptable. Now if government agencies, government parastatals are not acceptable to people with disabilities, how then do you talk about private individuals who ordinarily are doing their own thing in such a way they will save cost whoever way they my think about it. That is why this bill is critical to people with disabilities.
A person with disability ability to access his environment, access his community, goes a long way towards enhancing his ability to interact economically because if you cannot access public institution, how do you transact? How do you do business? A typical example is Nigerian banks that are hostile, inaccessible to people with disabilities and that is watching, seeing more than 25 million Nigerians being exposed to uncommon abuse. So this bill is going to help to address this issue.
But beyond that also, it creates for provision for people with disabilities’ participation in political activities. It creates space for creation of a national commission that will monitor compliance both from the state and non-state actors. So, these are some of the rich contents of this bill excites us and we are requesting that the bill should be concluded.
About 8 states which include Lagos, Ekiti and Plateau states, have passed a Disabilities Act, now if these states can actually do this, what do you think is delaying the Federal Government and do you appreciate the fact that these states have actually passed these Acts?
Mr Anyaele: We are so excited about it, here in Lagos State, the Lagos State Special People’s Law 2011 which was a bill that was designed by Civil Society group working on disability and with the support of Lagos State Government, it was signed into law. Here in Lagos, they are implementing the law. as I speak to you, the Lagos state government is taking appropriate measures to ensure that their goods and services are disability friendly to the extent that even in their own television station, they have a sign Language Interpreter that ensures that News are accessible to deaf people. In Jigawa, in Plateau….Plateau has a commission for disability in which even the governor was at the World Disability Summit in England this month in which he projects his state to the world around disability issues and invite international agencies to support their state to ensure that people with disabilities have equal opportunities as it ought to be.
This is what we expect all the Governors to do because there are lots of opportunities out there. International communities or disability agencies are willing to support a disability sponsored program by the state but where there is no legal framework, where there is no law, they struggle to find an entering point.
How far are we going if we have only 8 states that have passed the Disabilities Act, we have 28 other States yet to do that, how far is this awareness spreading to other states?
Mr Anyaele: We are spreading the awareness. In Abia State, Abia State passed the Disability’s Bill but the then Governor denied assent to the bill. And we have gone back to the parliament, asking them to re-gig the whole process, to ensure that the bill is passed by the assembly. I was told that the committee on Women Affairs Abia State House of Assembly has finished the legislative process around it only for them to present the report to the assembly for adoption. And I want to use this medium to call on Abia State House of Assembly to take appropriate measure to have passed that bill into law so that the Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu will sign the bill.
But beyond that also, we have other states who have one disability bill or the other in their parliament, in particular Anambra State. Anambra State, the disability bill has been there to the extent that people with Disabilities in Anambra state are afraid that the parliamentarians in Anambra state are demanding for money for them to pass the bill. And we asking the Speaker to take appropriate measure to do that because disability issues is not just for people with disabilities, as I speak to you, nobody is immune from acquiring disability. No matter how highly placed you may think you are, disability is not a respecter of person, region, social status. When disability occurs, what would you do? What we are trying to do with this disability bill is to create atmosphere that will ensure that no one is left behind by a reason of disability. No one is discriminated, nobody is excluded in both economic and social activities within our country.
How much of awareness is the group doing to stop all, how much concern, do you think Civil Society and the NGOs are putting into creating awareness for this?
Mr Anyaele: Awareness is ongoing, Last week, there was national Council Meeting on Women Affairs Association Development, issues on disability vibrated which was attended by all the women Affairs Ministries from the 36 states of the federation. They discussed issues around women, disability and children. So the awareness is ongoing.
And we thank development agencies like ROLAC, the rule of Law program of the British High Commission supported by the EU that is supporting states to promote and increase awareness around disability issues, rights, and passage of disability bill in Nigeria.
But the challenge we have is that most agencies also see it as charity issues not a right-based issue so they struggle so much to ensure that they put the necessary funding but we are happy that organizations like EU, British High Commission is also encouraging. We are also glad that organizations like Ford Foundation and Open Society Initiative for West Africa, they are also putting their resources, even the Nigerian Embassy but these resources will be made manifest if the state buys in to this program and agenda. That is to say that people with disabilities must not be discriminated by reason of their disability. People with disabilities must be supported, must ensure that they participate in economic activities.
Editor’s Note: This interview monitored, transcribed and adapted for The Daily Politics editorial usage. It was a TV interview on STV, Lagos
