The Federal Government has revealed its intention to close down public buildings that fail to adhere to the minimum standards of accessibility for Persons with Disabilities starting from January 17.
The Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, James Lalu, made this announcement during a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday.
The decision comes as part of the activities for the sixteenth day of activism in commemoration of the 2023 International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
Lalu clarified that the commission would take immediate action following the expiration of the five-year ultimatum set by the federal government, which is scheduled to conclude on January 16, 2024.
“This commission was established with full responsibility for the enforcement of its laws, and it has been stated in the commission’s establishment laws.
“Five years was given to organisations to comply with accessibility laws, and now the five years will expire on January 16 next year; we are now transiting from the era of advocacy to enforcement.
“By January, we would go out in full force to make sure that the provisions of the law are properly enforced,” he said.
Lalu mentioned that the commission plans to collaborate with all pertinent stakeholders to establish a special task force dedicated to enforcing the accessibility law.
“We would start meeting with our own partners to constitute a task force immediately before this Christmas; everything will be on the ground before the end of this year.
“So that as we come in early next year, the task force will swung into action immediately by January 17 at 12 am, the enforcement of accessibility laws will take effect.
“The commission’s task force will move out in full force and will start visiting key offices for physical assessment of facilities in the key offices,” he said.
The head of NCPWD additionally emphasised that the commission is committed to ensuring that organizations not only adhere to their accessibility requirements but also fulfill the mandated five percent employment opportunities for Persons with Disabilities.
”Our assessment may not only end on the physical facilities but the composition of the staff in these institutions.
” We want to know how many they have as persons with disabilities, the total number of staffing decisions, and then the maintenance of the five people in these institutions.
” So we have to find out all of these, so they will come to know whether they comply with the provisions of the law,” he said.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, expressed her support, stating that the commission has the full backing of President Bola Tinubu’s administration in implementing their accessibility laws.
Edu assured the Executive Secretary of her commitment to supporting the enforcement of accessibility laws.
She emphasised that the effective implementation and enforcement of relevant disability laws are a collective responsibility for all Nigerians.
Edu further assured all stakeholders of their determination to support the commission in safeguarding the rights and privileges of its members.
