A non governmental organization, TAF Africa, has trained 25 sign language interpreters in Anambra State to aid electoral inclusion in the forthcoming governorship poll in the state.
The training which was funded by European Union through its Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria, EU-SDGN II, Programme, was in partnership with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The two-day training for members of the Association of Sign Language Interpreters of Nigeria, ASLIN, Anambra State Chapter commenced on Wednesday, featuring presentations from both TAF Africa and INEC. It was aimed at ensuring that the election is inclusive for people with all forms of disability.
Senior Programme Officer, TAF Africa, Mr George Anwayi, who was one of the trainers stated that the group aims to ensure that all persons of voting age, who are eligible to vote, are captured, as disenfranchisement of any segment of voters may mean advantage for the wrong candidate.
He said: “According to WHO, there are about one billion people with disabilities in the world. In Nigeria, there are about 30 million people with disabilities, and that forms about 16 percent of the population.
“This people are subject to abuse, stigma, prejudice, and media discrimination, most times from a young age. They are most likely to experience adverse socio economic outcomes than persons without disability.
“This presentation explores how disability and the electoral process interact, with a focus on specific legal provisions designed to ensure inclusion
“For Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), participation in elections is often directly affected by physical, informational, and attitudinal barriers, impacting their fundamental right to vote and be voted for. That is the reason we are here.”
In his own presentation, the Head of Department of Electoral Operations in INEC, Mr Ejikeme Ejimofor, commended TAF Africa for the training, insisting that inclusivity in elections is the hallmark of democracy.
He said: “This training for sign language interpreters is a master stroke, and we thank TAF Africa for it. We do not want to leave anyone out in the election process, and we are very aware that if you fail to vote, you have already voted for the wrong person. So it is good that you mobilize everyone to be able to vote
“Voting in all the 5,720 polling units will commence as early as 8:30 am. We will do our best to treat people with disabilities with preference. Not only people with disabilities, we will consider pregnant women and aged people. We will continue to support processes like this to ensure that the people’s votes count.”
Ejimofor warned Nigerians about simple acts that can render their voters’ cards invalid, saying the cards should be treated as important belongings and not carried about at all times.
“Treat your voters card with respect. It should not be a regular identification card for you. The way you treat your international passport should be the way you treat your voters card.
“You can’t collect it and put it in your wallet and carry in around, sometimes you sit on it or keep them on the dashboard of your car and all the sun is on it. The card has an antenna and once you crack it, you are damaging the information in it and that isn’t good,” he said.
