The Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) has urged President Bola Tinubu to allocate at least ₦1 trillion annually to support the welfare and development of persons with disabilities in Nigeria.
The National President of JONAPWD, Abdullah Usman, made the demand on Monday in Abuja, at a stakeholders’ engagement forum on the rights, inclusion, and meaningful participation of persons with intellectual, psychological, and hearing disabilities.
Mr Usman said the population of persons with disabilities in Nigeria was large enough to warrant increased government funding, noting that their population was higher than that of some states in the country.
“My demand is ₦1 trillion to be at least the budget of persons with disabilities. I think ₦500 billion is small for the community of persons with disabilities. Can’t you see that the budget of some states will reach close to that, and then the population of persons with disabilities is more than in many states in this country,” he said.
Demand for equal rights
Mr Usman urged the government to ensure that all categories of persons with disabilities enjoy equal fundamental human rights with persons without disabilities, irrespective of their conditions.
He said the increasing population of persons with disabilities could help change the political and social narrative in Nigeria if the government provided adequate support for the community.
“The general idea that we want to lay with the agency, generally, is for the President of the Republic of Nigeria, and other members of the Executive Council of Nigeria, to know that all the categories of persons with disabilities need to have an equal fundamental human right with our colleagues, persons with no disabilities in this country.
“We really also want to inform the President, or I would say the Presidency, that the persons with disabilities in Nigeria, our population, can change the narrative of the leadership of Nigeria, and the persons with disabilities in Nigeria are speaking in one voice. Our party is disabled. We like, and we love anybody who loves us,” he added.
The JONAPWD president said persons with disabilities include deaf, blind and psychosocially disabled people, among others.
“That is why at times, when you hear the population of persons with disabilities, 35, 25 million, some people who don’t know disability will say, ‘ Is this true because they don’t know that we have a deaf, blind, psychosocial, many more among the classes of persons with disabilities.”
Presidency speaks
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, Mohammed Isa, said the government was making efforts to provide adequate funding and support for persons with disabilities.
“It’s not about the money, but what we are supposed to be advocating is inclusive budgeting. If you look at all these MDAs here, they have a clear mandate to implement disability budgeting.
“What we are looking at is proper funding for the commission. We have a national commission for persons with disabilities that has a sole mandate and responsibility to implement this act by liaising with all agencies and offices. The role of the watchdog is to analyse and assess the scorecard for all these MDAs in line with the global standard and to report it to the President. But this government is fully committed to advancing disability inclusion,” he said.
The presidential aide said the Tinubu administration had incorporated persons with disabilities into its programmes through various initiatives to improve their welfare.
“There are so many agencies that are advancing the issue of persons with disabilities. We have a federal minister of humanitarian. There are so many social intervention programmes underway, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
‘The government is now building a rehabilitation centre. Some of the rehabilitation centres for persons with disabilities in the regional political zone are in shape now,” he said.
The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) is primarily responsible for promoting, protecting and enforcing the rights of Nigerians with disabilities, ensuring their full inclusion and equal participation in society.
The amount appropriated for the commission in the 2026 budget is not independently verified. However, it has often advocated for a substantial increase in allocation.
The Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities and requires public structures, facilities and services to be made accessible to them. It also provides for accessibility standards in buildings and public facilities, including provisions relating to roads, transportation and other services used by members of the public.
READ ALSO: Disability advocates seek stronger enforcement of rights commitments in Nigeria
The law requires government and relevant authorities to take steps to ensure that persons with disabilities can access public facilities and services on an equal basis with other citizens.
However, years after the law came into force, many persons with disabilities continue to face difficulties accessing public buildings and essential services, particularly facilities that lack ramps, lifts, accessible toilets, appropriate signage and other features required for people with different forms of disabilities.
Government offices, schools, hospitals, transport facilities and other public spaces in many parts of the country remain difficult to navigate for persons with disabilities. The challenges are particularly pronounced for people who use wheelchairs, those with visual impairments and people with other mobility or sensory disabilities.
The Act provides a five-year transition period for existing public structures and facilities to be made accessible to persons with disabilities. In contrast, new buildings and facilities are expected to comply with accessibility requirements. Despite this legal framework, advocates say implementation is not feasible nationwide.
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