As part of the efforts, the Chamber did a second reading of a bill titled: “A Bill for an Act to ensure full integration of persons with disabilities into the society and establish a National Commission for Persons with Disabilities and vest it with the responsibilities for their education, healthcare and protection of their social, economic, civil rights and for other related matters 2013”, sponsored by Senator Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman (Kogi Central).
Abatemi-Usman, in a lead debate, submitted that without necessary legal frameworks/legislation, challenges encountered by disabled people in the society, which include gross marginalisation and discrimination, would be difficult to overcome.
According to the lawmaker, there are no other effective means of legislative protection to check abuses of physically impaired rights in a society with fledgling democracy.
“One could say unfortunately that their condition has rather become more of an afterthought than a matter of priority. This is not suggesting that we are oblivious of the effort of the 6th National Assembly in a similar cause.
“There is no gainsaying the fact that these people are daily confronted with several challenges, prominent among which is gross marginalisation occasioned by discrimination on the basis of their infirmity. This is sad, indeed”, he said.
The lawmaker said the bill, if signed into law, would be a major milestone in the lives of people living with disabilities as it seeks to effectively check all forms of discrimination against them while putting in place measures that address their condition.
“As a matter of fact, the bill will completely outlaw the discrimination of people on grounds of disability in the areas of employment, housing, transportation and similar spheres. Also, it seeks to provide a means towards ease of access to physical infrastructure by the disabled; their accessibility to public buildings is a sore-point in the lives of people living with disabilities, particularly, wheelchair users.
“This bill seeks to provide solutions and ensure that public physical structures, information and communication technology (ICT), as well as other public facilities, are wheelchair compliant/wheelchair accessible.
“This will not only be for the benefit of people with disabilities but also the generality of the public, especially the elderly, pregnant women and people laden with luggage-imagine, having ramps, automated doorways and lifts or elevators, to go in and out of all buildings, providing safety and ease of mobility. This will enable the full integration of people living with disability”, Abatemi said.
On the floor of the Senate, the bill enjoyed the support of every lawmaker as they hoped that President Goodluck Jonathan would assent to it when it is finally forwarded to him. They expressed dismay over the inability of past governments to give assent when it was previously passed.
Senator Hyatu Gwarzo (Kano North), who coincidentally is on wheelchair, asked: “Are people with disability not supposed to live in this country. This bill had been passed in the past but the President in 2009 and 2010 could not assent to it”.
Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, on his part, tasked both public and private institutions to always consider the physically-challenged when designing public buildings.
According to him, the moral strength of a nation is judged by its ability to cater for the weak and the vulnerable.
“Anybody can become disabled anytime and if that be the case, why can’t we cater for them? It is important to pass this bill in good time. Not only that, when it reaches the Presidency, the Senate President should take it upon himself to ensure that it gets presidential assent”, said Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central).
Senator Uche Chukwumerije described government’s inability to sign the bill as part of inhumanity and insensitivity of the system. He urged the sponsors of the bill to liaise with their colleagues in the House of Representatives to ensure acclerated passage.
“If we want the bill to be taken seriously, sponsors should cultivate effective allies in the House of Representatives and watch the law very carefully so that after it is passed, they will mobilise themselves to ensure it gets Presidential assent. I am not talking about passage of the bill because it is something any sensible human being should pass into law”, Chukwumerije said.
Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, regretted that even the constitution did not adequately provide for the physically-challenged. He said that while the Constitution Review Committee is looking into the issue, efforts should be made to alleviate the plight of the group.
President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, in his remarks, recalled that the bill has been in and out of National Assembly since 1999, when the current democratic dispensation began but for one reason or the other, it still remains a bill.
Mark noted that but for the Paralympians, Nigerians would have been thoroughly embarrassed at the past Olympic Games in the United Kingdom. Those who were fit could not even win a bronze but the disabled did. It is good that we learn a lesson from that. Many of us are even physically-challenged without realising it”, he said.
The bill was referred to committee on Women, Youths and Social Development and Sport for further legislative actions.
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