For two days in Benin City, the voices of disability advocates grew louder as 35 young leaders completed training to become “Disability Inclusion Champions” under a project of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD).
The participants—drawn from Organisations of Persons with Disabilities, civil society groups, and the media—are now equipped to push for equal rights, inclusive schools, and accessible healthcare in their communities.
Winnie Ishaku, JONAPWD Programme Officer, said the workshop was about preparing advocates to engage policymakers with practical solutions. “When you design programmes, you must think of accessibility, affordability, acceptability, and quality,” she said. “This training ensures our champions can demand those standards.”
She added that the project will also model an accessible primary healthcare centre fitted with ramps, sign language interpreters, and assistive devices—proof that universal design is achievable and should be scaled across Edo State.
Ann Ojugu, Chairperson of JONAPWD Edo, hailed the training as a catalyst for change. “With this knowledge, we will engage the Disability Commission, ministries, and local governments so that exclusion becomes a thing of the past,” she said.
For participant Ibrahim Momoh, the workshop was both empowering and practical. “We’ve learnt how to advocate effectively, use the right language, and apply the principle of progressive realisation. Our duty now is to share this knowledge in our schools, mosques, churches, and communities,” he said.
The initiative, which also runs in Osun and Sokoto States, aims to build a strong network of advocates committed to creating an inclusive Nigeria.
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