The Federal Government has announced plans to implement a monthly allowance scheme aimed at alleviating the financial burdens faced by Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) across Nigeria.
Ayuba Gufwan, Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), stated this on Monday in Abuja during a Road Walk for Disability Inclusion in Nigeria ahead of 2024 International Day for Persons with Disabilities (IDPwDs).
Gufwan stated that the initiative was aimed at alleviating additional financial burdens faced by many Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) by covering the costs of essential support services such as guides, personal assistants, and interpreters.
He stated that the Commission’s efforts were constrained by inadequate budgetary allocation, limiting its ability to achieve its objectives.
To address this, he led a team to the House of Representatives to advocate for a substantial increase in the Commission’s budget, proposing an enhancement from the current N4 billion allocation to a significantly higher budget for 2025.
”This move underlines the need to fund scholarships, provide mobility aids, reconstruct accessible office facilities, and expand medical outreaches.
“This proposal allocates adequate funding per geopolitical zone, specifically for education scholarships, bursaries, empowerment programmes, training, and essential mobility aids,’” he said.
He listed the mobility aids to include wheelchairs, motorcycles, crutches, guide canes, braille machines, and hearing impairment devices.
Abba Isah, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Special Needs and Equal Opportunity, stated that President Bola Tinubu’s Administration was making significant efforts to alleviate the challenges faced by Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).
Isah explained that the President was aware of the fact that access to social amenities was still a challenge to some disability community.
He, therefore, expressed readiness to partner with relevant stakeholders to provide the needed support to the disability communities in the country.
Esther Bature, the Country Advocacy Coordinator for Sightsavers Nigeria, emphasised that one of the organization’s core missions is to ensure that individuals do not suffer from blindness due to preventable causes.
”We also believe that PwDs have a right to live an equal life and have equal opportunities with Persons without disabilities, and we intend to stick to these misions.
”We have partnered with the commission to promote these ideals, we have developed a five years strategic plan for the commission, we have also supported them in developing access to work scheme,” she said.
The Road Walk for Disability Inclusion in Nigeria was organised by the commission in collaboration with Sightsavers Nigeria, the Leprosy Mission in Nigeria and other partners.
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