The PWDs said ministries, departments and agencies of government do not respect the 5% law, even though many of them are university graduates and loyal citizens.

The group made the appeal at a 2-day town hall meeting with stakeholders on Access To Employment for PWD in Nigeria by the National Commission for Persons With Disabilities in the South-South.

Daniel Akpan, a person living with a disability, said, “We are not asking for too much. Don’t deny us the 5% employment slot. Many of us have Master’s degrees and are well-skilled. Even though the Discrimination Against Persons With Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 has become law, yet, not many states have engaged us.”

Speaking at the event, the Acting Director of Compliance andEnforcement, at National Commission for PWD, Ikem Uchegbulam said they were moving round the country to sensitize people on the Act and how they will soon begin its enforcement for compliance.

“We will soon begin to invoke the powers available for us in the Act so that PWD will also benefit from jobs, appointments and placements.”

He said there are over one million PWDs in the country, according to World Bank, even though they are still collating the data. He called on the government in the South-South to make the law operational.

Earlier, the Executive Secretary of NCPWD, Mr James David Lalu represented by Ms Philomena Isioma from the South-South in the commission, said PWD should make themselves prepared for opportunities.

“PWD should utilise available opportunities to be able to be qualified for placements. They should upgrade their education, and be available for technical skill training. They should make their voices heard without violence.

“We are creating awareness for PWD to register and collect INEC permanent voter’s cards and also participate in politics.”

Head of Service in the state, Timothy Okwaji said they are already implementing the law, the state has passed the Bill into law. He said the 5% slot for PWD in the state is being adhered to.

The event had a theme, Employment: A Necessity for a better life for PWD, focused on the imperatives of Ministries, Departments and Agencies as well as private corporations to comply with sections 28 and 29 of the Discrimination Against PWD (Prohibition) Act 2018 which requires that 5% allotments be reserved for PWD as well as the intention to enforce it.

This was revealed in a new report released on Tuesday tagged ‘The Impact of COVID-19 on Business Enterprises in Nigeria’, jointly released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Based on in-depth interviews with almost 3,000 businesses from both formal and informal sectors across major industries of the economy, the report assesses the impact of COVID-19 on business enterprises in the country.

“While there have been promising signs of recovery this year, COVID-19 has had an outsized socio-economic impact on Nigeria,” it said.

“From disruptions in supply chains to ongoing supply and demand shocks and a drop in consumer confidence, these challenges are expected to leave a lasting impact on the businesses and enterprises that make up the backbone of the economy.”

The report also highlighted the significant decline in revenue faced by enterprises and establishments across the country due to the pandemic.

It indicated that 81 per cent of enterprises interviewed, experienced a decline in revenue and 73 per cent stated that they faced liquidity challenges due to secondary impacts of the pandemic in 2020.

Data from the report showed that the median loss in revenue remained at 44 per cent, in comparison to 2019 revenues while about 60 per cent of enterprises surveyed experienced an increase in operational costs, with the

price of raw materials and logistics being the top two contributors to the increase.

Other operational challenges included access to credit and capital, high expenditure on utilities, and inadequate social safety net, especially for informal enterprises.

In addition, the report revealed that one in three business enterprises surveyed indicated that some businesses have permanently closed due to operational challenges resulting from the pandemic.

NANS noted that uproar in security challenges being experienced in some zones and states of the federation is traceable to the high rate of unemployment in the country.

The NANS Public Relations Officer, Adeyemi Azeez, in a press statement urged the Federal Government to be more responsive in its effort to create more jobs for employment, noting that insecurity was rising due to the large population of youths who are idle as a result of unemployment.

“The government at all levels is called upon to solve the country’s popular problem of unemployment. Solving the problem of unemployment is directly solving the problems of social vices.

“We urge President Buhari to take decisive steps in addressing the challenge of graduate unemployment. The increasing security challenges in our country can be attributed to the large population of youths who are not doing anything tangible,” Azeez said.

Meanwhile, the NANS also commended a philanthropist, Mr. Kingsley Ehikioya, for making efforts at creating jobs for the Nigerian youths.

The national body noted that over 50 students nationwide had benefitted from scholarships sponsored by Ehikioya.