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 domesticate provisions of the United Nations Climate Change Act, 2021, particularly those addressing the special needs of persons with disabilities (PWDs).
Professor Akanji, who is also a Principal Researcher working with Professor Nidhi Singal of the University of Cambridge, made the recommendation during the ongoing Inclusive Climate Action Resilient Education (I-CARE) Workshop in Ibadan.
He stressed the need for governments at all levels to implement policies that will make life easier for persons with disabilities and enable them to better cope with the effects of climate change and associated livelihood challenges.
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, while strengthening 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, who was represented by a Rehabilitation Officer, Mr. Rilwan Babalola, joined other stakeholders in calling for greater inclusion of persons with disabilities in government policies.
Similarly, the Oyo State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Alhaja Joke Sanni, represented by the Director of Community Development, Mr. Lateef Oyediji, emphasised the importance of data gathering and special consideration for persons with disabilities in government programmes.
They noted that persons with disabilities have been considered in recruitment exercises in Oyo State and would also be considered in the payment of N-CARE stipends.
One of the panellists, Mr. Muyiwa Abegunde, a person with albinism, appealed to governments to prioritise and respect the rights of persons with disabilities rather than treating their needs as an afterthought.
The I-CARE Workshop, which commenced on Monday, is expected to end on Friday, with participants including policymakers, researchers and other stakeholders from states across the South-West.
