The Nation Newspaper

Tag: persons with disabilities (PWDs)

  • INEC allocates 774 election observer slots to women group

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have allocated 774 election observer slots to the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS).

    National President of NCWS, Dr Gloria Shoda said that the group has been advocating for inclusiveness and are pleased with INEC’s legal frameworks.

    She said that they are also pleased with INEC’s reforms of creating separate queues for expectant mothers and elderly women during the election.

    Dr Shoda stated this at the first NCWS quarter zonal national executive council meeting that took place in Abuja.

    Her words, “One of the important aspects of elections which we have been advocating for sometimes is inclusiveness. We are pleased to see that the nation’s electoral management body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has made provisions through legal frameworks for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and Intemally-Displaced Persons (lDPs).

    “We note too that there will be separate queues for expectant mothers and our elderly citizens. We encourage all people who belong to these categories to take advantage of the provisions made by lNEC to ensure they exercise their right to vote.

    Read Also: Breaking: INEC extends collection of PVCs

    “We also urge INEC continue in its bid to ensure a free, fair and credible elections and abide by its guidelines and regulation which it released in January 2019. The introduction of technology into the electoral process is to reduce the opportunities for fraudulent practices.

    “I will also like to caution our NCWS election observers to take care of hemselves. Please think safety first and do not interfere in the process even if you see anything going wrong. Your role is to quietly observe the process for making a report later; please don’t use your phone to record or take photographs when the atmosphere is tense. Finally, please do not take any unnecessary risks, your family and loved ones are waiting to see you back at home.”

  • FG set to increase recruitment quota of PWDs to 10%

    As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark the International Day with Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), the Federal Government has assured of an increase in the recruitment quota of PWDs to 10 per cent.

    Dr Samuel Ankeli, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Disability Matters, disclosed this in Abuja on Monday at the official inauguration of the Baseline Survey of PWDs.

    The event was under the theme: `Empowering Persons with Disabilities and Ensuring their Inclusiveness and Equality.’

    Ankeli urged PWDs to come up with a memo, while assuring that relevant actions would be taken to improve the lives of the people.

    “ It has been observed that those who are educated enough for employment have not been given a fair share of the Federal Civil Service openings.

    “It is a normal government procedure to improve policies where need be.

    “It’s a policy decision and the Head of Service (HOS) with her team will prepare a document for the attention of the President to see how we can do things as urgently as possible.

    “This will help us to improve the recruitment quota of PWDs from the negligible two per cent to 10 per cent and provide an allowance to cushion the expenses and extra stresses of PWDs.

    “ I am sure that with the proper document, which is a memo to the President, the relevant actions will be taken on it to improve the lives of PWDs,’’ he said.

    Also, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, Head of Service of the Federation (HOSF), said the theme was apt as it spelt out the objectives of the baseline survey of PWDs employed in the Federal Civil Service.

    Oyo-Ita noted that the survey would go a long way to reassure PWDs in the service that issues of their welfare are on the front burner.

    She said the survey was meant to position the officers to integrate PWDs for national development. The Head of Service added that the project, which is a pilot project, would be conducted in the office.

    Read Also: 2019: INEC assures PWDs of full participation

    According to her, the project will subsequently be extended to other Ministries, Departments and Agencies and the states.

    She said the time is ripe to begin effective planning for the future of PWDs in the service and the ultimate goal is the development of a comprehensive policy to address the challenges.

    “ The launch is expected to provide the aggregated data of PWDs in the civil service, in order to enable the service welfare to design a programme that tackles the challenges.

    “To create more opportunities for PWDs to get into job and full range effective service, sustainable change will be realised when all concerned are empowered.

    “The Federal Government is working to lessen inequality in the society, the office will also continue to provide PWDs with requirements to work effectively in a conducive environment,’’ she said.

    Oyo-Ita promised to work with international partners to leverage and support the efforts of the Federal Government to meet the needs of the PWDs.

    In her remark, Mrs Didi Walsom-Jack, Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office, HOSF, stated that the office is set to promote a safe and convenient work environment and provide basic support for civil servants.

    She said the use of the survey would help to improve inclusiveness, thereby helping to impact PWDs in the public service.

    On his part, Mr Jake Epelle, President, Albino Foundation, commended the HOSF for conducting the survey, as it had been recognised on the floor of the European Union to scale up methods to effectively impact on the lives of PWDs.

    Epelle said the survey, targeted at all employees with disabilities in the federal civil service, would deploy both quantitative and qualitative processes, which would also be driven by technology.

    The United Nations General Assembly in 1992 proclaimed Dec. 3 as the annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons.

    The aim is to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development.

    The Day seeks to also increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.

     

    (NAN)

  • INEC pledges effective participation of persons with disabilities 

    Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, has pledged to be committed and work assiduously with partners to ensure the full and effective participation of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the electoral process.

    Speaking at a meeting to validate the INEC Framework on access and participation of PWDs in the electoral process in Calabar, Yakubu, said over the years, the electoral body in Nigeria has had to deal with the issues of exclusion of PWDs in its plans and processes.

    Yakubu, who was represented by National Commissioner, Dr Adekunle Ogunmola, said however, the last couple of years have witnessed tremendous efforts by the Commission to identity these gaps and mitigate identified challenges.

    “As a commission we are committed now, more than ever to meaningfully uphold and incrementally improve the gains made in the advancement of the rights of PWDs to accessible and inclusive electoral process.

    Read Also:INEC laments poor participation of women in elective process

    “It is important to note that this INEC Framework on Access and participation of PWDs in the electoral process is an internal work aimed towards strengthening the Commission as an institution that is inclusive in its human and financial resources as well as in its practice and process,” he said.

    Resident Electoral Commissioner of Cross River State, Dr Frankland Briyai, said the programme, coming at a time when the preparation for 2019 general elections is in top gear reaffirms INEC’s commitment to enhance the democratic process by ensuring that every eligible citizen of Nigeria including PWDs exercises their voting rights.

    “This is consistent with the commission’s vision of reducing inequality and exclusion in the electoral process. It is worthy of note that the commission has made significant achievements in assisting PWDs by providing magnifying glasses for albinos, electoral information on braille and so on during the 2017 Anambra Governorship elections and I believe that by the adoption of this operational framework today further guarantee the rights and privileges for PWDs can be achieved.

    “The efforts of the commission will no doubt boost the confidence of over 25 million people living with disabilities in Nigeria and they will all come out and exercise their right which is not only about votes but contributing their national quota to National development through building of a vibrant responsive democracy,” Briyai said.

    Resident Electoral Commissioner of Akwa Ibom State, Mr Mike Igini, said the meeting is to ensure that elections should be an all-inclusive process, where people with challenges are not excluded.

    “Come 2019 and beyond, every segment of the country eligible to vote should not be denied on account of challenges of disabilities. Because every human being at one time or the other would have issues of limitation in ability in terms of age, where you would not be able to do anything. The system should be able to support you to exercise the full right of a citizen,” Igini said.

    National President of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria (JONAPWD), the umbrella body of all disabled people’s organization in Nigeria, Ekaette Judith Umoh, said the validation would address the barriers they face in participating in the electoral process.

    “This is a wonderful programme and we have been looking out for it for over two years now. We are here to validate a document, which has to do with access and inclusion of persons with disability in the electoral process. We are excited about it. It will open up the political space for PWDs in Nigeria and the framework is about addressing the barriers that we face as PWDs in participating effectively in the electoral process.

    “We face a lot of barriers in participating in the electoral process. There are various levels of barriers such as institutional, attitudinal, environmental and social barriers. So INEC has taken it upon themselves to address that.  So with this INEC disability framework, all the barriers that would have stopped us from participating effectively is going to be addressed here,” she said.

    Resident Electoral Commissioners from 18 states as well as other relevant stakeholders attended the meeting.

  • Disabled persons urged to vote in Anambra

    Disabled persons urged to vote in Anambra

    The 27,000 persons with disabilities (PWDs) registered to vote in Saturday’s governorship election in Anambra State have been urged to go out and exercise their constitutional right, because the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has started to take steps to address some of the difficulties they encounter during the voting process.

    The admonition was contained in a statement presented by the Executive Director, Inclusive Friends Association (IFA), a non-governmental organization, Mrs. Grace Jerry, at a roundtable with leaders of PWDs held in Awka, the Anambra State capital yesterday.

    Jerry who is also the coordinator, Access Nigeria: Disability Votes Matter Campaign said the polling unit accessibility audits conducted during the 2016 governorship elections in Edo and and Ondo states suggest that PWDs encounter difficulties in their attempts to exercise their franchise, because polling units are not structured to make it easy for them to vote.

    She listed the challenges: “Polling units were not accessible for our brothers and sisters who use wheelchairs, because of pavements and gutters; unavailability of sign language interpreters or written instructions to explain election day processes and procedures to our brothers and sisters who have hearing impairments or cannot see.”

    The Executive Director said the problems encountered by PWDs during elections are compounded by the unavailability of facilities such as Braille or Tactile ballots for those with visual or hearing impairments.

    She added that INEC was not able to do something to assist such persons before now, because it did not have a record of the disability status of registered voters.

    Apart from the round-table, the non-governmental organization has also sponsored jingles running every hour at two local radio stations in the state. She said about 400,000 persons are living with disability in the state, but only 27,000 of them are registered by INEC.