The House of Representatives has vowed to enforce full compliance with the legally mandated 5% employment quota for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).

Deputy Speaker of the House, Benjamin Okezie Kalu made the commitment in Abuja on Wednesday while delivering remarks at the Policy Forum on Advancing Workplace Inclusion for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), organised by the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Foundation to commemorate the International Day of People With Disabilities.

The deputy speaker who described the economic exclusion of PWDs as “not just a human rights violation, but economic sabotage,” noted that Nigeria cannot aspire to grow its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or build a resilient economy while shutting out millions of skilled citizens from its workforce.

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“The 5% employment quota mandated for public institutions is a national imperative. It is a statutory obligation. We are moving from the era of advocacy to the era of oversight,” he said.

He said the House Committee on Disability Matters, chaired by Hon. Bashiru Dawodu, now has full legislative backing to demand recruitment records and ensure MDAs account for their compliance with the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act enacted in 2018.

However, he stressed that enforcement alone was insufficient without a shift in corporate culture.

The Deputy Speaker urged chief executives, human resource directors and private sector employers to sign commitment forms at the forum, adopt disability-confident recruitment, and set measurable targets.

He commended the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Foundation for convening the dialogue and announced that recommendations from panel speakers will be tabled before the House before the end of the current legislative session.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Foundation, Amara Nwankpa said the objective of the programme was to push beyond conversation into action, particularly six to seven years after the passage of the Prohibition of Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Act.

“This programme is about social inclusion and social equity. The message today is very simple; make more room. Persons with disabilities are valuable, driven, and capable within the context of employment in Nigeria.

“They (PWDs) are not the ones that need to learn; it is us as organisations in Nigeria that need to learn how to be inclusive, and to be inclusive with purpose,” he said.

He stressed that Nigeria does not require new legislation but the will to implement existing provisions both the letter and spirit of the law, urging not only public institutions but NGOs and private organisations to adopt the intent of the Act in their recruitment and workplace policies.

He noted that enthusiasm from development partners and private corporations demonstrated a growing commitment to change.

He added that the Foundation plans to reconvene on the same day (December  3) next year, to take stock of progress made on the pledges signed at the event.