Olu Samuel, Lokoja

The Disability Community in Kogi State, has demanded for their inclusion in the state budget proposals to enable their full participation in government planning and budgeting in the state.

The Disability Community in the state under the aegis of Kogi State Chapter of national association of persons with physical Disability (NAPWPD), and the national Secretariat made the public presentation of the ‘Charter of Demands’ to the state at the weekend at Kogi State Office For Disability Affairs (KOSODA).

“We, the people with disabilities, assembled in Lokoja, from 15th to 16th of January, 2024, present this Charter of Demands on the rights of persons with disabilities to inclusive budgeting and development; developed through a consultative process involving representatives of all clusters and associations of persons with disabilities from across the 21 Local Government Areas of the state.”

Accordingly, the group said, “all demands presented were endorsed by all members of the Disability Community and the Kogi State Office For Disability Affairs.”

According to Barrister Yusuf Iyondo, a PWDs rights activist, the PWDs Community in Kogi State demands amendments to the state public finance management law, state procurement act, full implementation of the provisions of Kogi State Disability law, and inclusion of disability equity issues in the state 32-years development plan to bring about effective disability inclusion policies in the state in line with the United Nations convention on rights of persons with disability (UNCRPD) and the national disability act, domesticated in the state.

In the area of education, the group asks the state government to set up Education Assessment and Resource Services (EARS) to cater for peculiarities of learners with disabilities, while it advocates an immediate budgetary commitment of at least 2.5 per cent of GDP towards disability inclusion endeavours in the state.

According to the document, the principle of ‘non-retrogression’ had been applied in articulating the disability demands with a view to preventing “disproportionate and arbitrary cuts in budgetary allocations to disability specific projects in the state.”

Kogi State chairman of NAPWPD, Comrade Hassan Sule Destiny, appealed to Kogi State government to ensure that persons with disabilities benefit maximally from resource allocation and unhindered participation in Kogi State growth and development .

He called on Kogi State government to increase its disability responsiveness by adding disability inclusion in the annual performance agreements of accounting officers and CAOs in line with the group demands in view of the extra costs faced by persons with disabilities in the state.

The Community also called on the state government to ensure that the provision of essential services such as education, healthcare, water and sanitation, housing and employment reach people with disabilities in the state.