Adopt UN Climate Act 2021 For Persons With Disabilities, UI Don Prof Akanji Tells FG

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 adopt the provisions of the United Nations Climate Change Act, 2021, which includes provisions for the special needs of Persons with Disabilities in the society.

Professor Akanji, who is also a Principal Researcher with Professor Nidhi Singal, a Professor of Disability Education at the University of Cambridge, made the call during the ongoing Inclusive Climate Action Resilient Education, I-CARE Workshop in Ibadan.

Speaking at the workshop, Professor Akanji stressed the need for governments at all levels to make life easy for people living with disabilities to enable them overcome the challenges of climate change and livelihoods.

According to him, climate change impacts are more severe on vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities, hence the need for deliberate policies that address their peculiar needs in line with international best practices as contained in the UN Climate Change Act 2021.

The organiser of the workshop, Dr Basirat Razaq-Shuaibu, explained that the symposium is designed to facilitate critical policy dialogue on climate change, education, and disability planning in Nigeria, and to strengthen institutional capacity to design and support disability-inclusive, ethical and equity-focused research.

She noted that the workshop seeks to bridge the gap between climate policy, education and disability inclusion, ensuring that no one is left behind in climate resilience planning.

Also speaking, the Director General of the Oyo State Agency for Persons with Disabilities, Mr Ayodele Adekanbi, represented by a Rehabilitation Officer, Mr Rilwan Babalola, and the Oyo State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Alhaja Joke Sanni, represented by the Director of Community Development, Mr Lateef Oyediji, stressed the need for data gathering, special consideration and inclusion of people with disabilities in government policies.

They disclosed that persons with disabilities were considered in the recent Oyo State recruitment exercise and would also be considered in the payment of N-Care stipends, adding that the state government remains committed to inclusive governance.

One of the panelists and a person with albinism, Mr Muyiwa Abegunde, appealed to government to prioritize and respect the rights of people with disabilities, as against treating them as an afterthought in policy formulation and implementation.

He urged policymakers to move from charity-based approach to rights-based approach in addressing disability issues in climate action and education.

The I-CARE Workshop, which began on Monday and will end on Friday, has participants drawn from South West states, including policymakers, researchers, civil society organisations and persons with disabilities.