A Professor of Industrial and Security Education at the Institute for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ibadan, Professor Tajudeen Akanji, has called on the Federal Government to incorporate provisions addressing the needs of persons with disabilities (PWDs) into Nigeria’s climate-change policies and programmes.
Akanji, who is also a Principal Researcher working with Professor Nidhi Singal of the University of Cambridge, made the call during the ongoing Inclusive Climate Action Resilient Education (I-CARE) Workshop in Ibadan.
He urged governments at all levels to adopt and implement policies that would enable persons with disabilities to cope more effectively with the impacts of climate change, particularly the livelihood challenges and vulnerabilities associated with climate-related hazards.
Akanji specifically advocated the adoption of relevant provisions of the United Nations Climate Change Act, 2021, relating to the special needs and protection of persons with disabilities.
He said climate action should be designed to ensure that vulnerable groups are not excluded from government interventions, stressing the need for policies that make public services, livelihood opportunities and climate-resilience measures accessible to persons with disabilities.
The workshop organiser, Dr Basirat Razaq-Shuaibu, said the I-CARE symposium was aimed at facilitating critical policy dialogue on climate change, education and disability planning in Nigeria.
According to her, the workshop was also designed to strengthen institutional capacity for developing and supporting 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, joined other stakeholders in calling for stronger inclusion 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 reliable data and deliberate consideration of persons with disabilities in government interventions.
They noted that persons with disabilities had been considered in recruitment exercises in Oyo State and would also be included in the payment of N-Care stipends.
A panelist, Mr Muyiwa Abegunde, a person with albinism, urged governments to prioritise and respect the rights of persons with disabilities, rather than treating their needs as an afterthought in policy formulation and implementation.
The I-CARE Workshop, which commenced on Monday, is scheduled to end on Friday and has attracted policymakers, researchers and other stakeholders from states across the South-West.
