A group, Count Disability Coalition, has reacted to the news of the approval for the release of funds to the National Population Commission (NPC) and the inclusion of additional funds in the 2021 budget in preparation for the next National census.
In a statement sent to journalists on Saturday, October 10, the CDC commended President Muhammadu Buhari on the ”important step taken in the right direction.”
Part of the statement signed by Irene Patrick Ogbogu, convener of the coalition read:
”This move is coming at a time when over 31 million Nigerians with disabilities have been clamouring for Government and indeed all stakeholders to ensure that they collect appropriate information, including statistical and research data, to enable them to formulate and implement policies towards guaranteeing disability-inclusive development in Nigeria.
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”While recognizing the Government’s political will and readiness towards having useful and reliable data for her citizens, it is imperative to note that without clear data that is disaggregated by disability and informs policy decisions, persons with disabilities will not benefit equally from Nigeria’s mainstream development programmes.
”This is corroborated by findings from the UN Expert Group on Disability Data and Statistics, Monitoring and Evaluation that states ‘data disaggregated by disability in all areas will be essential to ensure progress is measured and persons with disabilities are not left behind in development programmes’.
”Therefore, in order for Government to succeed in ‘leaving no one behind’ there is an urgent need to develop and utilize inclusive data collection methodologies and tools with a view to achieving improved service delivery to persons with disabilities.
”We hereby call on the Nigerian Government and her relevant data management Ministries, Departments and Agencies, especially the National Population Commission, to ensure that the forthcoming census is disability-inclusive and representative of all disability types in order to ensure the fulfilment of Nigeria’s commitment on Disaggregated Data at the 2018 Global Disability Summit where Nigeria joined 9 other nations to make a commitment on using the Washington Group of Questions and methodologies on disability.”
The group also pledged its total support to the National Population Commission towards ensuring an inclusive and comprehensive census in Nigeria in order to have globally acceptable data that is disaggregated by disability.
Count Disability Coalition is a coalition of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities working to ensure that all state and non-state actors institutionalize the practice of collecting data that is disaggregated by disability and use same for planning and decision-making, the Coalition is supported by Disability Rights Fund (DRF).
