35.1m people live with disabilities in Nigeria—NCPWD

According to James Lalu, executive secretary of the NCPWD (National Commission for Persons with Disabilities), 35.1 million people in Nigeria live with disabilities at the moment.

Speaking on Friday in Imo State, Lalu addressed a one-day event aimed at providing permanent certificates to individuals with disabilities residing in the southeast.

The executive secretary stated that the program's goal was to educate PWDs about the advantages of certification, and he was represented by Ikem Uchegbulam, the acting director of compliance and enforcement for the commission.

According to him, the activity complied with Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Act Section 28.

According to him, medical professionals issue temporary certifications to people who are unable to use a body part, but PWDs can obtain permanent certifications from the commission.

“In addition to acting as a means of identification, the act has made the certificate a legal requirement for obtaining remedy from the law court, hence the need for possession of the certificate,” he said.

“A recent WHO report estimates that about 35.1 million persons have disabilities in Nigeria, so, the commission is doing its best to ensure that they have access to all their rights as enshrined in the constitution.”

According to Lalu, PWDs can only seek and receive treatments in accordance with the disability act if they have valid certificates.

In order to fully benefit from it, he urged all Nigerians who are disabled to get the certificates.

The instrument ratifying the protocol to the African Union (AU) charter to advance the rights of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Nigeria was signed by President Bola Tinubu in October.

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