‘Over 31m Nigerians Living With Disability’
By Abimbola Kintum
Over 31 million Nigerians are living with disability. This was disclosed by Mr. David Anyaele, the executive director of Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) at the inaugural conference on financial inclusion organized by Oriental News Nigeria (an online publication) held at Sheraton hotel &Suites on Thursday, 16th June, 2022.
He added that the disabled people are treated with distain and there are no facilities put in place for the disabled especially in financial institutions.
According to him, a survey carried out by CCD in financial institutions in Lagos state, revealed that only 1% of those facilities are disabled people friendly.
The chairman of the event, Dr. Uju Ogubunka, also said that a survey conducted in Nigeria in 2008 by a development finance organization, the Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access, revealed that about 53% of adults were excluded from financial services.
He also encouraged those who were present at the event and are financially inclusive, to canvass to those that are not financially included, to enjoy the benefit thereof.
The Editor of Oriental News, Mrs. Yemisi Izuorah, in her opening remarks, stated that the conference will help to advance inclusive financial systems for the community based people, artisans, low income groups, market women and men, special persons (disabled) that undertake various vocations as well as displaced persons.
Speaking further, she said “it will be recalled that the Federal Government and stakeholders in financial sector have had to deal with expanding financial services to large community of underserved population and dealing with resilience challenges brought about by the conference of events that have taken place”.
Some of the participants of the event were the online journalists, women in journalism, market men and women, low income groups, People living with disabilities, etc.
It would be recalled that the Central Bank of Nigeria adopted the National Financial Inclusion strategy in 2012.