On Wednesday, President Buhari signed into law a legislation that
will henceforth criminalize common discriminations against persons with
disabilities.
The Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition)
Act would see corporate entities and individuals face excruciating
sanctions if found guilty of discriminating against persons with
impairments, according to Ita Enang, the president’s National Assembly
liaison who announced the assent on Wednesday night.
“This Act prohibits all forms of discrimination on ground of
disability and imposes fine of N1, 000, 000 for corporate bodies and
N100, 000 for individuals or a term of six months imprisonment for
violation concurrently.It guarantees right to maintain civil action for damage by the person injured against any defaulter.
It provides for a five-year transitional period within which public
buildings, structures or automobile are to be modified to be accessible
to and usable by persons with disabilities, including those on
wheelchairs” Mr Enang said.
Other key elements of the new law are:
‘’Before erecting any public structure, its plan shall be scrutinised
by the relevant authority to ensure that the plan conforms with the
building code.A government or government agency, body or individual responsible for
the approval of building plans shall not approve the plan of a public
building if the plan does not make provision for accessibility
facilities in line with the building code.An officer who approves or directs the approval of a building plan
that contravenes the building code, commits an offence and is liable on
conviction to a fine of at least N1, 000, 000 or a term of imprisonment
of two years or both.Discrimination is prohibited in public transportation facilities and
service providers are to make provision for the physically, visually and
hearing impaired and all persons howsoever challenged. This applies to
Seaports, Railways and Airport facilities.The rights and privileges include education, healthcare, priority in
accommodation and emergencies. Furthermore, all public organisations are
to reserve at least 5 % of employment opportunities for these persons.
The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities is also
established in Section 31 with Executive Secretary as the head”
The signing comes days after Mr Buhari accused lawmakers of not
passing the bill during a town hall appearance with Vice President Yemi
Osinbajo.