Author: The Nation

•Disability Commission canvasses for 10-15 percent placement in civil service

With a projected population of between 35-38million, persons with disabilities in Nigeria have been expressing their grievances over the five percent employment quota allocated to them in the Federal Civil Service. They are clamouring for improved quota, wondering what the government expects to become the fate of the millions who are perpetually left out. Franca Ochigbo in Abuja writes.

Persons with disabilities (PWDs) are canvassing for 10-15 percent of employment into the federal civil service as against the current recommended 5 percent by the federal government. The question they are asking is, what happens to the other very qualified people, if they are being limited to just 5 per cent? They noted that inclusion is not an act of charity or magnanimity, but a right of persons with disabilities, emphasising that, what they need is appropriate provision.

They argued that the 5% specifically mentioned for the public sector is not enough, insisting that the disability community is really large – more than the population of some countries. “We are talking about 35-38 million people,” they echo. What about the private sector, the community of development partners and other non-governmental organisations, NGOs?

The bill on the prohibition of discrimination against persons with disabilities is due for amendment; so they are pushing that the 5 percent allocated to persons with disabilities be looked into with the hope of a review. The increase should be between 10-15 percent for some form of balancing, they are clamouring.

In a bid to ensure inclusiveness of disabled people, the National Commission for Persons with disabilities was set up in 2018, with structures in the 36 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. Although the commission has not been able to bring all disabled persons in the country under the commission for lack of data, there is the rough estimate of persons with disabilities in the country ranging from 35-38 million.

In Nigeria today, there are disabled persons everywhere; most of them not aware of the existence of the commission, especially the unschooled ones. Only some privileged ones among them, who know people who know certain people, are aware that the commission exists and benefit from it.

“Look around us, our markets, our streets, corners, ghettos are filled with the disabled; try asking them if they know of the National Commission for People with Disabilities, and they are as surprised, just like most Nigerians. The answer is who, where, how? 

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Many of these people have no education at all, they are out there begging for alms; others do menial jobs to survive, they speak English only to communicate while others speak their dialect – Yoruba, Ibo and Hausa, so they can buy and sell. Due to limitations, these people cannot go to lots of places like the government office. They are limited; they cannot climb staircases; and even with a wheelchair, they still cannot move around due lack of electricity, which makes it impossible for them to use lifts in these organisations and some homes.

Take the case of the blind amongst them; how do they move without assistance, or the deaf without an interpreter? In other countries, disabled persons are government’s number one priority; reasons are that the disabled commits 100% to their jobs more than normal persons. They hardly get distracted. To ensure inclusivity, these governments make sure that any organisation that does not include the disabled in its employment list is taxed higher than others, so organisations in these countries prefer to employ the disabled to avoid these high taxes.

Speaking with a disable man, Jibril Manwuta, who crawls due to his inability to stand on his feet, but remains very active in Dutse market of Bwari area council, Abuja, he said, “I have never entered Abuja township for anything; the government is not allowing us to roam around freely the way we operate in satellite towns. In the market here, I am not just a beggar; I ensure the surrounding is clean. See my broom, I sweep and I get favour from people; and I pray that God continues to provide for them so they can have to give me.”

When asked if he was aware of the Commission for Persons with Disabilities, he said he has never heard of it, and asked if they would allow him and his people enter there.

Another disabled person, Murjanatu Lawal appealed to the government to create an enabling environment for them, where they will operate in a cluster and people can come to give them alms. Asked if she had any form of education, she said only Islamimyya, adding that she had been on the street since childhood and now that she is a mother, her children are out with her in the streets begging too.

This reporter’s next stop was with Onyekachi Chukwuluba, a disabled shoemaker, who uses one hand to repair shoes and bags in the Kubwa market of Abuja. His right hand is well and functional, but his left hand is short and almost not there. Highly impressed with his work, The Nation approached him for a brief interview. He was not born like that, he revealed. His mother had taken him took him to the farm as an infant, he recalled; because the weather was very cold she decided to make a fire close by to keep him warm whilst she went to work. Unfortunately, the fire in no time got to where his mother kept him and began to burn his hand.

Even when he was crying out of pain, he said his mother thought it was just the normal baby cry, and tarried until the hand got seriously burnt. By the time she came by, the damage had been done. She rushed him to the hospital, but the best they could do was to amputate the damaged part. Chukwuluba said he, however, resolved while growing up that he would never be on the street begging; that he must learn a trade and earn a living. That decision saw him enrolling to learn shoemaking, a skill he now uses to fend for himself and family. Talk of ability in disability.

The big question is what will the government do with the many disable people on the streets? They are all over the place. The ones lucky to gain employment are very small compared to the many on the streets. The ones on the streets are not even captured in any budget. There is no state in Nigeria that you will not find beggars; and it is not peculiar to the big cities alone. This is telling the government that there is work to be done in this area.

The educated disabled people are more privileged because they can communicate their needs, and in one way or the other, the government can reach out to help them. But even with that, how many are under government’s employment? How many are benefitting in any form from international organisations and Non-Governmental organisations NGOs? The government has to go extra miles to ensure inclusiveness of the disabled, and also recommend them for international jobs as long as they have the requirements.

Best gift to persons with disabilities

Speaking with the Executive Secretary, National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, Ayuba Burki Gufwan, a polio survivor, he said, “The commission exists to implement the discrimination against persons with disabilities Act of 2018. The disability community regards this Act passed by the parliament and signed by the President as the best gift the government of Nigeria has given to persons with disabilities.

“Everything disability is built on this Act. As a polio survivor before I became the ES, I had wished that there would be a Bill that will take care of persons with disabilities. The passing of the Bill was a great relief to persons with disabilities. The Bill is the best persons with disabilities have received from the federal government. The Bill is the foundation everything disability is being built on. It is an elaborate Bill, it provides for the general wellbeing of persons with disabilities. The government is deeply involved with all that concerns persons with disabilities.

“We do not have data of persons with disability nationwide presently but it is estimated that persons with disability in Nigeria range from 35 to 38million people across the 36 states of the federation including the FCT. 38 million is a huge number. It is more than the population of many countries in Africa. The commission’s budget is very paltry. If we are to make a budget, it will be a budget for 38million people. Research has confirmed that one out of ten persons with disabilities needs one form of assessable device or the other. You can imagine how much will go into the purchase of these devices”.

He added that these devices are not made in Nigeria. “Is it the wheelchair, the electronic wheel Chair, crutches, magnifying glasses, the cognair implant, hearing aids for people with hearing challenges? Whatever device? None is made in Nigeria. Apart from the local stick you cut from the farm and lean upon, all others are imported. The devices are not made in Nigeria and are very expensive.

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“For the year 2025, the commission has a budget of N2.3billion. By the time you remove staff wages and all others which is about N90000 million you would be left with below one billion naira for 38million Nigerians who need one form of assistive device to function very well. Budgeting for the commission is a huge disaster; we are not adequately budgeted for and it hinders our ability to respond to the needs of the people. The Bill provides for five percent of persons with disabilities of all employment opportunities in the health sector, which is reserved for qualified persons with disability.

Inclusion not charity

The question is what percentage of Nigeria constitutes persons with disabilities?

If persons with disabilities are 10-15percent, why recommend only 5percent for them? What happens to the other group of persons? Inclusion is not an act of charity or magnanimity; it is the right of persons with disabilities. What we need to do is appropriate provision.

Persons with disabilities in Nigeria are about 38million but only 2% are gainfully employed. The implication of this is that many persons with disabilities are off the employment basket, which is a big disaster, Gufwan said.

“As a commission we work for the whole country. It is a national commission for persons with disabilities in Nigeria, so all the 36 states, including the Federal Capital Territory FCT is covered. Whatever services rendered is spread across the 36 states of the federation. The goal of the commission is ensuring that no one is left behind.

“Of the 36 states, 24 states have domesticated the act, meaning that the House of Assembly in these states have passed these Bill and the state governors have gone ahead to establish this Bill exclusively for the disabled persons in their state. This is in spite of the fact that most of the establishments for the disabled are grossly under-funded.

“The state budgets are disastrously poor. In one of the states, the disability commission got a budget of N70million; what this means is that for the whole calendar year, they were able to access only N25million. Painfully, they only got the N25million when they needed to celebrate the international day of persons with disabilities. This is a far cry from what the persons with disabilities community desires.”

Gufwan argued that the idea behind the creation of the state disability board is to make them functional. “It is by so doing that the government can truly impact the lives of persons with disabilities in Nigeria. We encourage the legislative arms of the state government to pass the appropriate legislation that would touch the lives of persons with disabilities across the 774 local governments. Nigerians believe there is disability in ability.

“One of my biggest shock was that as soon as I was posted to this commission, a couple of directors proceeded on retirement; and to get their replacement, most of the directors posted to the commission confirmed that they never knew the commission existed. They had never heard of it. So even on the streets of the country, so many Nigerians are not aware of the existence of this commission, the commission needs all the publicity it can get,” he said.