Reps may fine banks ₦50,000 over lack of disabled persons-friendly facilities

There are indications that the House of Representatives would impose a fine of N50,000 on financial institutions for the absence of disabled-friendly facilities like ramps, rails, and special toilets.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Banking Regulations, Mr. Muhammad Bello El-Rufai, hinted at this on Tuesday in Abuja during the multi-stakeholders forum on disability-inclusive governance in Nigeria.

El-Rufai, who expressed concern over the non-enforcement of the Disability Act, argued that banks would quickly implement disabled-friendly facilities to avoid paying such a significant amount of money as a fine.

Assuring stakeholders of the support of his committee in the proposed amendment to the Disability Act, he remarked on the need for humane treatment for the 35 million Nigerians living with disabilities.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Disability Matters, Dr. Bashiru Dawodu, said it is unfortunate that PLWDs in the country lack access to education, employment opportunities, and face several other discriminatory practices.

Stating that there are three bills being considered by the House to address the challenges, he disclosed that his committee would put in place measures aimed at enforcing the Disability Act signed into law in 2015 by former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Health Institutions, Mr. Amos Magaji, who spoke in the same vein, decried the absence of facilities required by persons living with disabilities (PLWDs) to access medical facilities in the country.

The House Majority Leader, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, who described the Speaker Tajudeen Abass-led House of Representatives as the most friendly chamber to PLWDs, stressed the need for public enlightenment on issues relating to their inclusiveness in the governance of the country.

He described the N100,000 penalty for corporate outfits found wanting of breaching the extant provision of the Disability Act as a huge joke.

The Co-Chairman of the Accelerate Disability Inclusion in Emergencies (ADIE), Mr. Christian Agbo, called on the federal, state, and local governments to introduce an affordable public transportation system accessible to PLWDs.

Agbo added that the program should provide discounted or free transportation vouchers, passes, or dedicated transportation services to ensure affordable and accessible transportation options for PLWDs.

He further called on the federal, state, and local governments to initiate a stand-alone social intervention program for PLWDs, including establishing reliable databases of PWDs, food banks for equitable distribution of economic palliatives, and targeted financial assistance.

He thereby proposed an amendment to the Disability Act to make it mandatory for 10 percent of the social intervention programs of all federal ministries, departments, and agencies of government to be dedicated to persons with disabilities.

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