Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Beta Edu, has expressed her dissatisfaction over the insufficient allocation of funds for the disability commission in the 2024 budget.
She stated that the current budget falls far short of what is required to adequately tackle the needs and concerns of the disabled community in the country.
She stated this during a symposium to mark the 2023 International Day of Persons With Disabilities, themed: Renewing Hope Together For Disability-Inclusive Societies, on Wednesday, in Abuja.
She highlighted the importance of prioritizing the rights, welfare, and inclusion of the disabled in society and stated that they deserve equal opportunities and access to services just like every other citizen.
She said: “The budget or allocation to disability commission is low and it is not acceptable. We must put our money where our mouth is. So, on behalf of 35 million Nigerians who fall within this category, we are pleading with the very dynamic of uncommon leadership we have at the National Assembly, to please improve on the budget for the commission for disabled persons in Nigeria.”
Also, she noted that the ministry will commence shutdown of organizations that do not have facilities to aid the easy movement of PWDs.
She said: “Unlike other public places, and unlike other public buildings and even private buildings in Nigeria, they do not have facilities that will support persons with disability.
“Even the federal Secretariat and several other offices where people work. We need to lead by example. The law says so so it’s not an abeg. Nobody’s doing us a favor. The task force will soon move to ensure that every public building in Nigeria, wherever it’s found, must provide that access for persons living with disability. They do not need to stress to get to where they need to get to. It is unacceptable so we need to be very deliberate.”
