Penultimate week, the executive director of Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) was at the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Abuja office to register his protest over alleged discrimination against the physically-challenged in the national registration exercise. Senior Correspondent, ONYEWUCHI OJINNAKA, reports.
Social equality is a state of affairs in which all people within a specific society or isolated group have the same status in certain respects, often including civil rights, freedom of speech, property rights, and equal access to social goods and services. However, certain category of people in almost every society, because of their physical or other states – which may be no fault of theirs – are denied some rights.
In view of this, the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), a non-profit organisation, has cried out to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to ensure that persons with disabilities are not discriminated against or left out in the ongoing national registration of citizens of Nigeria.
Worried that citizens with disabilities, particularly the amputees, were denied registration on grounds of their disability, CCD’s executive director, David Anyaele, alleged that members of the centre across the country complained that they were being discriminated against.
Anyaele expressed worry when he paid advocacy visit to the commission’s office in Abuja recently.
He said: “We are worried that citizens with disabilities, particularly persons with upper limb loss (amputees) are denied registration on grounds of their disability.
“We are also worried that citizens with disabilities in specific persons with upper limb loss were asked to go to Abuja for the registration exercise.”
The executive director had, therefore, urged the Commission to urgently look into the alleged discrimination against persons with disabilities by the Commission’s staff outside Abuja and address the issue properly to enable them register and obtain the national identity card.
He wondered why such citizens could not be registered in their local government areas and states on account of their deformity, pointing out that they could not afford the cost of going to Abuja to get registered.
“We also call on the NIMC to take appropriate measures to remove environmental and institutional barriers that restrict citizens with disabilities from participating in the registration exercise,” he urged.
While receiving Anyaele on behalf of the Commission’s director-general, Chris Onyemenam, NIMC Senior Manager (Database), Mrs. Shereef Balogun, assured CCD that the Commission would not discriminate against any person with deformity.
Balogun maintained that the Commission had standard operational procedures which do not discriminate against any person, pointing out that the Commission had not directed any of its staff to discriminate against people with disabilities.
“The project, which is registration of citizens, is an all-inclusive programme; it is not discriminatory. The mandate of NIMC is clear: capture and register Nigerian citizens and legal residents, and we are doing everything within our power to capture every person,” she stated.
According to her, there is no directive that somebody should be discriminated against, adding that Federal Government is mindful of citizens with disabilities in the exercise.
“That is why the Federal Government directed that we have to set up centres in very low buildings to take care of people with disabilities, especially those on wheelchairs,” she asserted.
She, however, apologised to those who might have been discriminated against as a result of their disabilities, assuring that the Commission would take steps to address the issue.
CCD, which has the mandate and objective to protect, promote and safeguard the rights of persons with disabilities; promote public enlightenment in civic education, human rights and public policy; initiate and implement programmes, policies and activities geared towards the promotion and enhancement of the welfare of persons with disabilities.
Access to justice
In another development, CCD has urged the federal and state governments to close all barriers inhibiting people with disabilities access to justice in the country.
Speaking to journalists in Lagos on access to justice by disabled persons, Anyaele asked the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Olufunmilayo Atilade, to take appropriate measures to collapse all barriers hindering People with Disabilities (PWDs) access to justice in the state.
Speaking on the import of CCD’s research on access to justice for PWDs, Anyaele said: “Over the years, the justice administrators have been silent on access to justice for PWDs.
“This is because there is no legal framework that protects PWDs from discrimination and harmful practices and as such they are more vulnerable.”
According to him, justice for PWDs in Nigeria is very slim, particularly in Lagos State. “It is slim because there are constitutional environment as well as attitudinal barriers that hinder citizens with disabilities from effective participation in the justice system on equal basis with others.”
He said the report, which was presented to the Chief Judge of Lagos, was meant to sensitise justice providers on the urgent need to allow the PWDs to gain from the state’s special people’s law.
He also canvassed that the special people’s law provides that all harmful practices against PWDs must be prohibited, specifically calling on all state and non-state actors to conduct their services in such a way that PWDs would benefit. He pointed out that the law, which was signed in 2011 by former Lagos Governor Babatunde Fashola, will expire in July 2016.
“Specifically, we are calling on the judiciary to provide sign language interpreters for the deaf in the court and also put ramps and elevators where necessary to enable the physically-challenged have access to court premises.
“Beyond that, we are asking them to take appropriate steps to build their capacities on the rights of citizens with disabilities to enable them implement the law as being provided for us,” he said.
In her remarks, the Deputy Chief Registrar of Ikeja High Court, Mrs. Funmi Ajayi, who represented the Chief Judge, disclosed that a committee would be set up to look into the issues concerning PWDs’ access to justice in court.
She said the issues raised in the report were all guaranteed in the constitution.
“We assure you that by the time we sit with the executives, we will bring these issues before them and will take it to the right quarters for implementation.
“The issue of interpreters is very important and, therefore, there will be a need to train more interpreters. A committee will be set up to address these issues,” she assured and charged members of CCD not to relent in the pursuit of justice for PWDs.