Centre for Citizens

Stakeholde;rs at a recent forum in Lagos have called for a Ministry for Disabilities in Nigeria, headed by a person with disabilities.

There was also a call for a standard national strategic plan on Special Needs Education, to help improve the state of Persons with Disabilities in the country.

As part of activities to mark 10 years of democratic rule in Nigeria, the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) in collaboration with Coalition of Disabilities Organisations (CODO) organised an Assessment Forum of Disabled Peoples Organisations at Ikeja, Lagos on President Umaru Yar'Adua's two-year old administration.

In a communique co-drafted by the Secretary-General of Nigeria Network of NGOs, Barrister Ayo Adebusoye, the Centre also called on the Federal Government to ensure that the Seven Point Agenda must be translated into seven different strategic plans, implementation blueprints, action plans with time frames, and finally a monitoring and evaluation framework for the agenda to be meaningful and workable

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.

The theme of the meeting is 'President Umaru Yar'Adua's two-year old administration: His 7-Point Agenda and its Impact on Nigerians with Disabilities' , while the objective is to explore ways to encourage, urge and advocate for the inclusion of Nigerian with Disabilities in President Umaru Yar'Adua's government.

There were over fifty participants drawn from line ministries and government agencies, the academia, opinion leaders in the disability community, members of the civil society organisations, development partners and the media, among others.

Adebusoye said other far-reaching decisions arrived at included the need for people with disabilities to become politically organised and struggle to be able to push reforms effectively, according to Mr. Kunle Idowu, NNNGO's media consultant.