Climate Change Act: Professor Urges FG to Address Needs of Persons With Disabilities
Oru Leonard
A Professor of Industrial and Security Education at the Institute for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ibadan, Prof. Tajudeen Akanji, has called on the Federal Government to review and update provisions of the Nigeria Climate Change Act, 2021, to adequately address the special needs of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs).
Akanji said the review should align Nigeria’s climate change policies with the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, particularly in addressing the vulnerabilities of people living with disabilities to the effects of climate change.
He made the recommendation while speaking at the ongoing Inclusive Climate Action Resilient Education (I-CARE) Workshop in Ibadan.
Prof. Akanji, who is the Principal Researcher for Nigeria, is collaborating with Prof. Nidhi Singal, a Professor of Disability Education at the University of Cambridge and Principal Researcher for the United Kingdom, on the initiative.
The stakeholders at the workshop emphasised the need for governments at all levels to adopt inclusive policies and programmes that would enable persons with disabilities to cope with the growing challenges posed by climate change, education and livelihoods.
The organiser of the workshop, Dr. Basirat Razaq-Shuaibu, said the symposium was designed to facilitate critical policy dialogue on climate change, education and disability planning in Nigeria.
She added that the workshop would also strengthen institutional capacity to design and support disability-inclusive, ethical and equity-focused research.
The Director-General of the Oyo State Agency for Persons with Disabilities, Mr. Ayodele Adekanbi, represented by a Rehabilitation Officer, Mr. Rilwan Babalola, called for improved data gathering and greater consideration of persons with disabilities in government policies and programmes.
Similarly, the Oyo State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Alhaja Joke Sanni, represented by the Director of Community Development, Mr. Lateef Oyediji, stressed the importance of inclusion in government interventions.
They disclosed that persons with disabilities had been considered in recruitment exercises in Oyo State and would also be considered in the payment of N-Care stipends.
A panelist and person with albinism, Mr. Muyiwa Abegunde, appealed to governments to prioritise and respect the rights of persons with disabilities, rather than treating disability-related issues as an afterthought.
Abegunde urged policymakers to integrate the needs of persons with disabilities into the planning and implementation of government policies from the outset.
The I-CARE Workshop, which commenced on Monday and ends on Friday, has attracted policymakers, researchers and other stakeholders from states across the South-West.
