The Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) has called for stronger protection of the civic space rights of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Oyo State.
The call was made during an advocacy visit to the Director-General of the Oyo State Agency for Persons with Disabilities, Barr. Ayodele Adekanbi, on Thursday, September 25, 2025.
The visit brought together the CCD team, cluster heads of PWDs, and members of the media to present key findings from a project reviewing the Oyo State Disability Law.
Speaking at the meeting, CCD’s Programme Officer, Christiana Njoku, introduced the delegation and outlined the Centre’s ongoing initiatives in the state. The organisation’s Finance and Administration Manager, Mrs. Florence Austin, who represented the management, expressed appreciation to the Agency for the opportunity to share the findings.
Mrs. Austin emphasised the urgent need to include civic space rights—such as freedom of assembly and association—within the state’s Disability Law to align with Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution. She stressed that PWDs and civic actors with disabilities often face harassment, intimidation, and exclusion from decision-making processes, making their legal protection a priority.
She further urged the Agency to push for an amendment to the law and to create safe spaces through referral systems and a reporting-and-response mechanism to safeguard the civic rights of PWDs.
In his response, Barr. Adekanbi applauded CCD for spotlighting the issue in Oyo State. He acknowledged that the current law lacks provisions for civic space rights but noted that an amendment to address existing gaps is already in progress.
Highlighting Oyo State’s strides in inclusive development, including the appointment of Special Assistants for PWDs across all local government areas, he pledged the Agency’s readiness to collaborate with CCD to ensure the proposed recommendations are implemented.
The visit ended with CCD expressing gratitude to the Agency and expressing optimism that the collaboration would lead to significant policy changes for the benefit of PWDs.
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