From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), has announced the deployment of interpreters, assistive devices to airports to aid persons with disabilities.
NCPWD Executive Secretary, James Lalu, who stated this yesterday in Abuja, said persons with disabilities hardly get assisted by the airport authorities.
Lalu said he had invited the management of an eatery, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), for discriminating a disabled man and son of former Ogun State governor, Adebola Daniel.
He said: “Today, we are taking over a project by deploying our personnel to the major airports in the country to provide necessary support for Persons with Disabilities.
“The little number of personnel we have will be deployed to some of the major airports.
“We will provide some of them with sign language. We are writing to the airport authority for us to have a mutual meeting to secure the appropriate space where we deploy our personnel so that they can provide the necessary assistive devices that are needed for easy movement for persons with disabilities to make ensure that airports comply with the National Accessibility Regulations.
“We have started with a meeting with the Minister of Health and it was encouraging.
“Our manpower will take it up. Our airports need to have disability desks to assist those with one challenge or the other. We will cooperate with FAAN to commence the process.
“Persons with disabilities will have their own support and a number will be provided for them to call when challenged.”
Meanwhile, the Founder of Disability, Rehabilitation and Empowerment, Chike Okogwu, has proposed N1 trillion budgetary allocation for the NCPWD.
Okogwu said: “Funding is important for this project. If we ask for N15 trillion it is not much. If we ask for 5% we have not even scratch the surface.
N1 trillion is far less than 5% of the budget. What we are saying is that people with disabilities need accessibility.
“Accessibility means being able to enter the bank and carry out transaction. Accessibility means being able to go to school. So, if the commission is well funded the staff will deliver.”