BRISIN will help in building data bank for disability – Presidency

The Federal Government says the implementation of Basic Registry and Information System in Nigeria (BRISIN) will help in building a data bank on the People Living with Disability (PLWD) for effective planning.

Dr Samuel Ankeli, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Disability Matters said this in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja on Monday.

The aide said his office was partnering BRISIN Service Provider, Dermo Impex Limited to implement the project, which would be inaugurated in June.

Our correspondent reports that BRISIN is an integrated system for the collection, storage and distribution of information to support the management of the economy.

The project was initiated under former President Olusegun Obasanjo administration, while the Goodluck Jonathan administration inaugurated a Technical Committee for its implementation.

BRISIN is targeted at tapping into all aspects of the nation’s economy and bringing about developmental and economic growth in the country through the use of data collection of people and information

The aide, however, said that it had been difficult to get accurate data to plan for PLWD.

“We don’t know how many people living with disability, most time, we guess and rely on foreign organisations to give us figures about our people.

“This has made life difficult not only for people living with disability but for people in governance.

“We have some baseline surveys that are not realistic, that is why I decided to work with BRISIN as quickly as possible and get it functional.

“So that we can have a system on ground that will constantly and continuously give us information so that when we process it, we can use the data to apply for planning and policy.

“We are talking about Bill for disability; we can’t come up with concrete evidence to say this is the number of people living with disability in the country.’’

According to Ankeli, a lot of risk factors prevailing in the country now, from terrorism attack to herdsmen/farmers clash, automobile accidents and terminal diseases.

He said there was no proper record on those factors, especially for PLWD.

“Who keeps records? Is the number reducing or increasing? We need to get this data corrected.

“I am thinking BRISIN should be the best option for us to have effective, efficient, sincere and scientific information on people with disability across Nigeria,’’ the aide said.

Ankeli commended the Federal Government for including the PLWD in the Social Investment Programme, noting that the people were initially neglected.

“We met with the Vice President and the Special Assistant on Social Investment Programme and we have been included in the programme.

“We have come up with a document on inclusion of PLWD and very soon, we will get a supplementary budgetary allocation that will help us to fully participate,’’ he said.

The aide, however, called for support from the stakeholders on the implementation of BRISIN.

He said his office had organised a sensitisation workshop on the importance of BRISIN for data governance, disability and social welfare.

“We are going to run through preparatory phase and we get to the flag off phase; we are optimistic that in eight weeks, it will be flagged-off by the President.

“We have to come back for details on implementation strategy and get the governance structure fully incorporated and everybody working together.

“With the system we are running, it is not going to be run from this office.

“We are going to have board of governance and they are going to be technocrats from the six geo political zones.

“By the time the impact of the project start coming, we will get more support rather than interference,’’ he said.