The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has called on the Federal Government to increase the vote for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the 2024 supplementary budget and the 2025 budget to promote inclusivity in the country’s governance processes.
 
The group, in a statement signed by its Executive Director, CISLAC, Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani), maintained that the Nigerian government is required to prioritise the needs of PWDs to foster more inclusiveness.
 
Rafsanjani emphasised that the call is essential to address the serious socio-economic challenges faced by PWDs, and to ensure their full participation in the nation’s socio-economic and political landscape.
 
CISLAC reaffirmed its commitment to advocating for the rights of PWDs, calling on all stakeholders, including the government, private sector, civil society, media, youth and women groups and organizations, to join hands in promoting an inclusive society, where every Nigerian, regardless of abilities, could thrive and contribute to national development.

The executive director added that PWDs are not an exception in the democratic system of governance, as it is their fundamental rights, noting that the socio-economic and political inclusion of these persons in the Nigerian governance system is not only paramount, necessary for good governance to prevail in the country.
 
Rafanjani pointed out that despite the enactment of the Discrimination Against PWDs (Prohibition) Act in 2018, which aims to protect their rights and promote their integration into society, implementation has been hampered by inadequate funding, with the current budget allocations grossly insufficient to meet the needs of over 30 million Nigerians living with disabilities, thus leaving many without access to essential services such as education, health care service delivery, employment opportunities and accessible infrastructure.
 
He underscored increase in the budgetary allocation for education of the PWDs, stating that since no nation rises above the level of its education, it cannot equally rise above the education of its most vulnerable members of the society.

The civil society organisation, therefore, urged the government to invest in special education programmes such as vocational training, inclusive schools, workplaces, businesses and skills acquisition, workshops and seminars to equip PWDs with requisite skills for gainful employment.