Person living with disability have called on the Benue State Government to domesticate the disability act in the State in order to strengthen equality and inclusiveness.
A call pushed by a group called the inclusive friends association,
IFA, led by the Executive Director, Grace Jerry in Makurdi, the Benue state capital
On the 23rd of January, 2019 former President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities
(Prohibition) Act, 2018, following 9 years of advocacy by disability
rights groups and activists.
According to the World Health Organization’s 2011 World Disability Report, about 15 percent of Nigeria’s population, or at least 25
million people, have a disability.
Many of them face a number of human rights abuses including stigma, discrimination, violence, and lack of access to healthcare, housing, and education.
This Inclusive Friends Association has called the stakeholders meeting to share concerns on the absence of a right based disability law in Benue state.
So far, about 20 states in the country has adopted the law and Benue is the only state in the North Central yet to domesticate the
Disability Act.
The law prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability and imposes sanctions including fines and prison sentences on those who contravene it.
It also stipulates a five-year transitional period for modifying public buildings, structures, and automobiles to make them accessible and usable for people with disabilities.
