Disability rights advocates have urged the Federal Government to translate its commitments under the 2025 Global Disability Summit (GDS) into concrete actions, warning that millions of Nigerians with disabilities continue to face significant barriers despite existing legal protections and policy frameworks.
The call was made on Wednesday during a media roundtable on the Nigeria 2025 Global Disability Summit Commitments Action Plan, where stakeholders outlined key government pledges and stressed the need for stronger accountability mechanisms to ensure their implementation.
Speaking at the event, the National President of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Abdullahi Usman, represented by Programme Officer Bukunmi Adejumo, said the action plan was designed to guide advocacy efforts, promote accountability and ensure that commitments made by Nigeria at the summit result in measurable improvements in the lives of persons with disabilities.
She explained that the Global Disability Summit is the world’s largest platform dedicated to advancing disability inclusion, bringing together governments, United Nations agencies, civil society organisations and organisations of persons with disabilities to secure commitments that promote disability-inclusive development and humanitarian action.
According to Adejumo, the Nigeria 2025 GDS Commitments Action Plan was jointly developed by organisations of persons with disabilities and the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), with support from the Disability Rights Fund (DRF).
She highlighted accessibility of information and communication as one of the government’s key commitments, noting that the media has a critical role to play in driving inclusion.
Under the commitment, the Federal Government has pledged to ensure that the National Broadcasting Commission implements disability-inclusive broadcasting standards by December 2027. The measures include wider use of sign language interpretation, captioning and other accessibility features across broadcast platforms.
“The commitment is not just about providing information but ensuring that information is accessible to everyone regardless of disability,” she said.
Adejumo also pointed to government commitments aimed at strengthening financial inclusion for persons with disabilities. She said authorities have pledged to ensure accessible banking services and facilities across financial institutions by June 2028, with a target of at least 75 per cent of banks providing disability-friendly services.
In addition, she disclosed that the government has committed to pursuing legislation that would allocate at least two per cent of the nation’s annual consolidated revenue to disability inclusion initiatives by December 2026.
On education, she expressed concern over the persistent exclusion of children with disabilities from the school system, describing the current state of inclusive education as inadequate.
According to her, many children with disabilities remain out of school, while those enrolled often encounter segregation, inaccessible learning environments and inadequate support services.
As part of its summit commitments, the government aims to return 70 per cent of out-of-school children with disabilities to classrooms by 2028 through targeted inclusive education policies and programmes.
However, Adejumo stressed that commitments alone would not address the challenges facing persons with disabilities unless they are backed by funding, implementation plans and sustained political will.
“We need action. We need to ensure that these commitments are reflected in government programmes, budgets and implementation plans,” she said.
She identified legal capacity, social protection, healthcare, accessible infrastructure, employment, community inclusion and humanitarian response as other priority areas captured in the action plan.
Particular attention, she noted, is being given to strengthening supported decision-making mechanisms that enable persons with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities to exercise their legal rights and participate fully in society.
Adejumo further called on the private sector to play a more active role in advancing disability inclusion by adopting measurable policies and practices that promote the participation of persons with disabilities in economic and social life.
She said organisations of persons with disabilities would continue to monitor progress on the commitments, engage relevant institutions and hold duty-bearers accountable where implementation falls short.
The media, she added, remains a crucial partner in amplifying the voices of persons with disabilities and highlighting gaps in the delivery of government commitments.
“We want to move from commitments to impact. By the time the next Global Disability Summit holds in 2028, we want to be able to point to real achievements rather than return with the same promises,” she said.
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