Tinubu Signs Instrument Of Ratification On AU Charter On Rights Of Persons With Disabilities

Eko Hot Blog reports that President Bola Tinubu has signed the Instrument of Ratification of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa.

The protocol was adopted by the 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on the 29th day of January, 2018.

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But nearly six years later, Tinubu formally declared that Nigeria accepts the protocol.

The development was disclosed in a statement issued by the president’s spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, on Thursday.

“I, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, do hereby formally declare that the Federal Republic of Nigeria accepts the aforementioned Protocol and undertakes to faithfully perform and carry out the stipulations therein contained;

“In witness whereof, I, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, have set my hand and Seal of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on this Instrument of Ratification at Abuja on this 19th day of October in the year Two Thousand and Twenty-Three,” the president declared.

The African Disability Protocol is the legal framework based on which member states of the African Union are expected to formulate disability laws and policies to promote disability rights in their countries.

The African Disability Protocol ensures that no one is truly left behind. It is unique to the continent and takes African practices and concerns into consideration so that the lives of people with disabilities improve. It tackles the ingrained issues of disability discrimination so that everyone can access health, education and employment without stigma.

The protocol addresses and encompasses specific issues such as customs, traditional beliefs, harmful practices and the role of the family, caregivers and community. It also deals with community-based rehabilitation and minority groups within the African disability community, including people with albinism.

It will come into effect only after it is signed and ratified (made legally binding) by 15 member states of the AU.

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As of May 2021, the protocol had 10 signatures and only one ratification with several states at various stages in their ratification efforts.

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