Preamble
On the 5th- Jan- 2022, Coalition of Association for Leadership, Peace, Empowerment & Development (CALPED) in collaboration with Joint National Association of Persons with Disability (JONAPWD) organized a one-day stakeholders meeting to review the approved Kaduna State 2022 Budget with focus on allocations Disability Affairs Board (KDAB) and disability community. During the budget preparation and appropriation, CALPED provided capacity and technical support to the Disability Community to analyze the 2022 draft budget.
The objectives meeting were to review the approved 2022 Kaduna State Budget and track presentation made by the Disability Community during the Public Hearing; to support and build capacity for the Disability Community to effectively engaged the budget process; and to agree and raise a Budget Advocacy Plan that would ensure effective and timely implementation to improve service delivery to the benefit of the various disability clusters in Kaduna State.
There were brief remarks from the Executive Secretary of the Disability Affairs Board, Mallam Aliyu H. Yakasai; Stephen Waya, Convener/Head of Gender & Social Inclusion/Team Lead Community Participations & Engagement of CALPED; Abdulazeez Suleiman, Chairman JONAPWD; and Simon Olatude from H4CC. Participants were drawn from all clusters of disabilities and Civil Society Organization partners in Kaduna State.
Observations
This is the second year running that CALPED has provided technical support to the Disability Community to analyze the State Draft Budget and articulate recommendations/demands.
The Disability Affairs Board appreciated CALPED, Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL) and other partners for the effective and critical role being played to ensure the Disability Community Demand Charter towards informing the State Budget.
Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL) supported CALPED, JONAPWD, and other mechanisms to harmonize the analyzed Kaduna State 2022 Draft Budget, presented and submitted it at the State House of Assembly’s Appropriation Public Hearing.
The analysis recommended an increase to the draft allocation for the Completion of the Ultra Modern Centers to the amount initially proposed by the Board.
Also, during the Budget Defense at the Assembly, the Disability Affairs Board did all they could to defend the estimated N147,000,000 budgeted for the completion of the ultra modern centers, which was earlier reduced to N88,200,000,000.
Upon review of the approved budget, it showed that the State government captured the recommendation as requested.
The 52,800,000 has been reverted back to the Board as formally estimated and submitted to the State Executives.
The budget tracking training and advocacy were conducted by CALPED and supported by PERL, this action had yielded remarkable results for the Disability Affairs Board, Disability Community, commitment 1,3, and 4 of the Open Government Partnership OGP Kaduna
The Disability Community agreed to track and monitor all capital projects under the Disability Affairs Board to ensure quality and Value for Money.
The Disability Community formed an advocacy committee headed by clusters head to facilitate advocacy visits to key stakeholders to ensure full cash backing on or before the second quarter.
The Disability Affairs Board pledged to support and provide the disability community with the right information and necessary documents that would enable them to track and monitor the Ultra Modern Centers across the three senatorial zones.
The community stakeholders agreed to visit and partner with the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) regarding the provision of infrastructure to special education schools, capacity building of one hundred gender disaggregated teachers on brailling and mobility, and capacity building of two hundred gender disaggregated teachers on Basic knowledge of inclusive education and sign language. This is in order to ensure quality service delivery.
The Disability Community applauded the State Government for the allocation of 100 million to the Disability Trust Fund.
The Executive Secretary made clarification about the Board of Directors as stated in the Disability law. It is fully for Kaduna State Disability Affairs Board and not the Disability Trust Fund. A different board will be the one to manage the Trust fund if officially constituted.
Resolutions
The Disability Community agreed to pay an appreciation visit to the Honorable Speaker House of Assembly to officially thank him and the entire members for fulfilling the promises made to them during the Public Hearing.
Disability Community and partners to carry out advocacy visits to Planning & Budget Commission, Ministry of Finance, chairman House committee on Human Service and Social Development, on or before the end of January 2022 to ensure all capital projects allocated to the Board are prioritized in terms of releases and cash-backing.
The Disability Community will track,monitor, and evaluate 2022 budget performance of the Disability Affairs Board and report quarterly.
The Budget Advocacy team will visit Partnership to Engage Reform and Learn (PERL) to officially appreciate the critical role played in ensuring the Disability Community demand charter informed the 2022 approved budget.
Stakeholders agreed to involve more CSOs and Media partners advocating for the wellbeing of Persons With Disabilities to join forces and ensure dividends of democracy get to the Disability Community.
Signed
Suleiman Abdulazeez
Chairman JONAPWD Kaduna Chapter.
Signed
Stephen Waya
Convener/Head of Gender & Social Inclusion/Team Lead Community Participations & Engagement-CALPED.
