Centre for Citizens

Lagos — There is a popular saying that there is ability in disability. The bone of contention at a recent stakeholders' forum organised by the Centre for Citizens with Disability was that people with disability should be put into consideration in whatever mode of transportation the government is putting in place.

This will give them mobility to conduct their own businesses.

On March 17, 2008 the Lagos State Government launched, for the first time in Africa, the Lagos Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system in the mega city. The aim of the project was to solve the mobility challenges, reduce household income spent on transport, and reduce poverty and ultimately the lifestyle of the people of Lagos State.

Prior to the establishment of the project, it was said that the Lagos State government officials have traversed the world in search of best practices in the transport sector. The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) officials, it was also said, visited Latin America and Asia to understudy the workings of their bus system, since according to them, most of the cities visited had similar experience with Lagos. Consequently, the BRT was lunched.

The news of the launch of a BRT System, which is intended to reduce the mobility challenges faced by Lagosians, was a welcome development especially in the disabled community.

However, at a recent forum held in Maryland Lagos, the people with disability did not conceal their vexation on the fact that the joy of the new transport system was short lived as they discovered that this laudable project was really conceived with their exclusion.

At the forum, many of the disabled persons recounted their nightmarish experiences with the BRT officials, particularly the drivers. They argued that the deprivation of accessible transport to their community created income poverty and poverty, they argued, is the major cause of disability.

They bemoaned the inaccessibility of the design of the BRT services, which limits access to the disabled and the elderly, and many other groups perpetuates exclusion.

They contended that the major problems that Lagosians with disabilities face when trying to use BRT transport systems included physical barriers, especially for those using wheelchairs and other mobility aids. The problem, they said, were not just the structural barriers and the lack of assistance from operators and drivers, but also psychological barriers and fear for their personal safety when using transport systems.

They therefore held that in situations where passengers with mobility challenges or other forms of disabilities could not have easy access to the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, it was "a complete denial of dividends of democracy, a gross violation of their rights to freedom of movement, and further exposure to marginalisation, isolation, discrimination, poverty and sometimes to untimely death "

Mr. David Anyaele, executive director CCD, said the development has created fear, anxiety, loss of self esteem/confidence, poverty, and sometimes multiple disabilities.

Speaking further, the Anyaele said that if Nigeria being a signatory to the Article 9 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which came into force since May 3, 2008, would eliminate barriers that people with disabilities face in buildings, outdoors, transport, information, communication and services, in both cities and countryside, persons with disabilities would live their lives fully and independently.

He said it was for the difficulties faced by Lagosians with disabilities that had prompted the stakeholders' forum on "Inclusive and Accessible Transport System for Lagosians with Disabilities".

"We feel that when government is making transportation policies, there is need to include persons with disabilities on issues of transport so that they would be able to bring in a holistic transport policy that is friendly to all, when the policy is friendly to people with disability, it is friendly to everybody," he said.

The CCD boss was adamant that as long as he was concerned, there was no policy in LAMATA, adding that in as much as they don't have disability policy; there is no policy in reality.

"I was opportune to speak with one of the drivers and he said that it was at their discretion that they allow people with disabilities to enter the bus free of charge and that there was no policy that disabled persons should enter their buses free of charge. So LAMATA as we are talking right now do not have disability policy and that is what we are clamouring for. We are asking them to go back to their drawing board to have a disability policy. Whatever thing they are doing, they must ask how the persons with disabilities would benefit from it. The moment this is brought to focus, then every other structure and design must be put in place considering persons with disabilities", Anyaele noted.

He said further that persons with disabilities were not just about people who have mobility challenges, but also included the blind, deaf and dumb. He therefore said there was a need for training, awareness and consistent consultations with disability communities on how to make things work, adding: "I think it is important they listen to persons with disabilities because that some people are able today does not mean that we may not have disability in their life time. One way or the other, if you don't have it at young age, you are bound to have it at old age when we would not be able to run as fast as you have always done. Or sometime when you are pregnant you find out that you are disabled from doing the normal things in life.

"One thing we must note is that disability is not a respecter of persons, race, ethnicity, tribe or social status. As we are meeting here, somebody somewhere in Nigeria is losing one part of his/her body to disability", Anyaele added.

The forum whose main objective was to reduce the vulnerability of citizens with disabilities to poverty through accessible and affordable public transport system, also critically accessed the state of public transport system in Lagos State and persons with disabilities in the last one year of Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola's administration.

Stakeholders in the public transport system in Lagos State; from the state ministries, senior government officials, opinion leaders in the disability community in Lagos State, the media, international agencies and members of the civil society group also joined forces at the forum to brainstorm and make recommendations for an inclusive and accessible public transport sy stem for all.

The outcome and report of the forum, the Centre ED said, would be strategically disseminated among line government ministries and agencies, Lagos State House of Assembly, local and international organisations working within the broad area of transport and disability rights in Nigeria with a view to attracting funding and policy attention to the neglected issue of accessible and inclusive transport system for Nigerians with disabilities.

"After this workshop, we intend to follow it up, the contribution made in this place would be forwarded to the government, especially, the Chairman Lagos State House Committee on Transport; we are also going to forward it to the Commissioner for Transport and even to the governor and other relevant authorities, for them to understand what is going on in the disabled communities," he said.

However, Mr. Young Arabamem, chief executive officer, LASMA, maintained that certain provisions have been made in Lagos for persons with disabilities. "For example, the bridge at Anthony, along Ikorodu Road was constructed to allow disabled persons but they are not using the facility. And if they don't use it, it becomes obsolete", Arabamem said.

He stressed that persons with disabilities should be ready to help themselves by bringing to the notice of government and all policy makers the problems that they have so that the powers that be will begin to address these problems.

Still maintaining that the government has the interest of persons with disabilities in mind, Arabamem said: "Like in the BRT now, they are supposed to ride without paying the fare, so recognition has been made and if they are supposed to ride without paying the fare, they should use the facility and with time, more would be done", noting that there were many competing alternatives on things government should do but that so far, this was the level the government could get.

On the issue of BRT, he said provisions too have been made for disabled as special seats were provided in the buses for them, adding: "That is to tell you that government recognises the fact that there are disabled persons in the country". He however said there was a need to educate the officials thoroughly on their mode of operations as government recognizes the fact that some of the authority was working with a set of people who still need to be trained properly, particularly the drivers of the BRT.

Mr. Jide Oduyoye, Head, Road Safety, Enforcement and Parking, LAMATA, who said his organization will collaborate with CCD to provide accessible transport system said: "We can't claim that we know all the answers that is reason we need to collaborate with them to be able to have a first hand knowledge of what their requirement are and the challenges that they face, so that we can see how we can incorporate that into our own policy. We would also see how we can influence government policies in terms of the work that we do for disabled person to ensure that it is replicated all over the place