When Nigeria signed the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, in 2019, it was hailed as a milestone — a promise that persons with disabilities would finally enjoy equal rights, dignity, and protection under the law.
The Act was expected to transform daily life for millions of Nigerians with disabilities: making schools inclusive, workplaces accessible, and public institutions accountable.
Six years later, that promise remains largely unfulfilled. Across the country, persons with disabilities still face systemic neglect, exclusion, and discrimination — not because the law is weak, but because it has not been truly implemented.
A Law Without Life
The Disability Act was designed to prohibit discrimination, guarantee access to education and employment, ensure accessibility in public spaces, and establish the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD).
However, a law without proper enforcement mechanisms is merely ink on paper. Out of Nigeria’s 36 states, over fifteen states had fully domesticated the Act. This means that there are still many states where there are no local frameworks to enforce compliance, no budget allocations to drive implementation, and no consequences for institutions that fail to include persons with disabilities.
Many government offices, hospitals, and schools still lack ramps, tactile signs, or accessible toilets. The law says new buildings must comply with accessibility standards — but construction continues as if the disability law never existed.
When Rights Depend on Location
The uneven domestication of the Act means that a person with disability’s rights in Nigeria often depend on where they live.
For instance, in Lagos, Anambra, Abia, Plateau, Kogi, Edo and Kano States respectively, there are at least established Offices for Disability Affairs, and some visible advocacy efforts have improved public awareness. But in many other states — particularly in the North, parts of the South-South and South-East — there are no functional disability rights commissions, no enforcement officers, and no inclusion policies.
A visually impaired student in Kano might still be denied admission because of “infrastructure challenges,” while a deaf jobseeker in Enugu could be rejected simply because the employer has no interpreter. These are not isolated incidents; they reflect a pattern of neglect that the law has failed to address.
The Silence of Institutions
Implementation failure is not just about laws — it’s about leadership. Many institutions that should be enforcing the Disability Act are silent. Ministries, departments, and agencies rarely make their services accessible.
Recruitment exercises by public bodies often overlook the 5% employment quota reserved for persons with disabilities.
Even the NCPWD, though a significant step forward, is underfunded and overstretched. It cannot operate effectively without strong collaboration from state governments, civil society, and private organizations.
A law is only as strong as the systems that uphold it. When institutions fail to mainstream disability inclusion in budgeting, policymaking, and service delivery, they are indirectly endorsing systemic discrimination.
Attitudes That Undermine Rights
While legal frameworks are essential, societal attitudes can either strengthen or destroy them. Many Nigerians still view disability through a lens of pity, charity, or superstition — not rights and equality.
A government officer may ignore accessibility requirements because “there are not many disabled people around.” A teacher may advise a blind student to drop out because “education is too difficult.” A private employer may reject a qualified applicant with a mobility aid, assuming they “can’t cope.”
Until these attitudes change, the law will remain a distant ideal. True enforcement begins in the hearts and minds of citizens — when we all understand that persons with disabilities are not asking for favours, but for fairness.
The Cost of Neglect
When the law fails, the consequences are real. Persons with disabilities remain trapped in cycles of poverty and exclusion. Talented individuals are denied education, jobs, and civic participation. Children with disabilities grow up believing they are less worthy because society offers them no inclusion.
The failure to enforce the Act also hurts Nigeria’s development. We lose innovation, diversity, and economic contribution. Every inaccessible classroom or office represents not just a missed opportunity for one person, but for the entire nation.
The Way Forward: Turning the Law into Action
To make the Disability Act work, there must be intentional collaboration between government, civil society, and the private sector. DRP Initiative believes the following steps are critical:
- Domestication in All States: Every state must adopt and implement the Act through local legislation. State Houses of Assembly should prioritize disability laws with clear penalties for violations.
- Adequate Funding: Disability inclusion should be reflected in annual budgets. Accessibility and inclusion are not optional — they are obligations under Nigerian law.
- Stronger Institutional Accountability: The NCPWD and state commissions must actively monitor compliance in public and private sectors, publish annual reports, and sanction defaulting bodies.
- Awareness and Training: Government workers, teachers, and employers need training on disability rights and accessibility standards. Awareness changes attitudes.
- Active Civil Society and Media: Organizations like DRP Initiative must continue to tell the stories, document violations, and keep the conversation alive. Media outlets must stop portraying persons with disabilities as helpless victims and instead highlight their strength, innovation, and agency.
Hope in Action
Despite the slow progress, there are glimpses of hope. Across Nigeria, disability rights advocates are gradually rising — young, passionate voices demanding accountability and inclusion.
In Lagos, advocacy groups are engaging with urban planners to make city transport accessible. In various states, blind professionals are breaking barriers in technology, law, and education. In the South-East, activists are building partnerships with local governments to establish disability desks and accessible schools.
These examples remind us that laws alone don’t drive change — people do. When advocacy meets persistence, when institutions listen, and when the public begins to see inclusion as justice, not charity, progress follows.
Conclusion
The Disability Act was never meant to be a symbolic gesture. It was designed as a lifeline — a bridge toward dignity, equality, and opportunity. But until Nigeria breathes life into that law through action, enforcement, and empathy, millions of citizens with disabilities will continue to live as if it never existed.
It is time to move beyond the law. Time to build systems that work, leaders who care, and communities that believe inclusion is not a privilege, but a right.
At Disability Rights Protection Initiative (DRP Initiative), we stand for that vision — a Nigeria where every person, regardless of ability, has equal access to justice, opportunity, and respect.
