Stakeholders in the disability rights sector, including civil society organisations, persons with disabilities (PWDs), lawyers, government officials, and media practitioners, have renewed calls for the review and alignment of the Delta State Disability Law with Nigeria’s National Disability Act, citing low public awareness and critical gaps in the state legislation.
The call was made during a two-day media training organised under the Disability Rights Advocacy Project (D-RAPID) and implemented in Delta State by TAF Africa. The training brought together journalists and key actors in the disability rights space to strengthen advocacy, improve media engagement, and promote effective implementation of disability laws at the sub-national level.
Participants expressed concern that despite the domestication of the national disability law by Delta State, many citizens, employers, and duty bearers remain largely unaware of its provisions, a situation they said has continued to limit compliance, enforcement, and the overall impact of the law on the lives of persons with disabilities.
Recall that the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, was signed into law in January 2019. The Act prohibits all forms of discrimination against persons with disabilities and guarantees their rights to education, healthcare, employment, and accessibility. It also established the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) to promote social inclusion, ensure access to public infrastructure, and enforce a minimum five per cent employment quota for PWDs in public organisations.
Speaking at the training held in Asaba, the Delta State capital, the State Coordinator of the D-RAPID Project, Dr. Godwin Adaji, said the initiative focuses on strengthening advocacy for the rights of persons with disabilities in Delta and Benue states. He explained that journalists were deliberately targeted to drive public awareness and influence policy implementation.
“One of the key issues we discovered is that although Delta State has passed the disability law, many people, including employers and duty bearers, are not aware of its provisions. We believe that by training journalists, awareness will increase significantly, and this will promote better enforcement of the law,” Adaji said.
Dr. Adaji further noted that while many states domesticated the National Disability Act following Nigeria’s commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, some provisions in the Delta State law fall short of national standards, particularly in the area of employment quotas.
According to him, the National Act provides that at least five per cent of employment opportunities should be reserved for persons with disabilities. However, the Delta State law stipulates that only one per cent of employees in organisations with a minimum of 100 staff must be persons with disabilities, leaving smaller employers exempt.
“This means that organisations with fewer than 100 employees are not required to employ a person with disability. We are saying this should be corrected to align fully with the five per cent provision of the National Act,” he stated.
Also speaking, Senior Communication Officer at TAF Africa, Lynn Agwuncha, said the media engagement was designed to address persistent challenges in how disability issues are framed in the Nigerian media. She observed that persons with disabilities are often portrayed as objects of pity or charity cases rather than as rights holders.
“The media has not done a fair job in the way persons with disabilities are presented. They are often shown as beggars or people to be pitied, instead of being reported from a rights-based perspective that promotes dignity and inclusion,” Agwuncha said.
She stressed that journalists play a critical role in shaping public perception and challenging harmful stereotypes, adding that the training aims to equip them with the skills to report disability issues with professionalism, integrity, and respect for human rights.
Agwuncha further urged journalists to take ownership of disability reporting beyond the training, encouraging them to independently pursue stories that highlight both challenges and successes within the disability community.
“We expect journalists to consistently report on disability issues, examine the provisions of the law, and support persons with disabilities through impactful storytelling. While we will provide technical support where necessary, this process must be driven by the media,” she said.
She added that the D-RAPID project also includes media monitoring and follow-up support, with refresher trainings planned if gaps are identified over time, to allow journalists adequate time to apply their learning.
The D-RAPID project aims to improve visibility, strengthen advocacy, and promote the full implementation of disability rights laws, particularly at the sub-national level.
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