The Federal Government of Nigeria has been urged to strengthen disability-inclusive policies in employment, education and economic empowerment to reduce poverty and improve the participation of persons with disabilities in national development.
The Executive Director of the Hope Inspired Foundation for Women and Youth with Disabilities, Ejiro Okotie, made the call during the commemoration of the 2026 International Day of Care and Support in Abuja.
Okotie emphasised the need for the government to ensure that persons with disabilities benefit from existing social and economic programmes, noting that cash transfers and temporary assistance alone cannot address the structural barriers they face.
She called for disability inclusion to be integrated into government interventions, particularly programmes targeting women, girls and young people in rural and underserved communities.
According to her, government initiatives should include deliberate provisions for persons with disabilities to ensure meaningful participation rather than symbolic representation.
Okotie explained that limited access to education and employment continues to expose persons with disabilities to poverty by restricting their ability to secure jobs, establish businesses and earn sustainable incomes.
She urged the government to introduce policies that would enable persons with disabilities to apply their skills, access entrepreneurship opportunities and contribute to economic development.
She also called on educational institutions to establish standardised support systems for students with disabilities rather than leaving assistance to individual discretion.
Through its #WeCareToo campaign, the foundation is also seeking to challenge perceptions that persons with disabilities are only recipients of care.
Okotie stressed that persons with disabilities also provide care, raise children, support relatives, contribute to household incomes and serve their communities.
Meanwhile, Andrew Amos, a representative of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, said the government was promoting skills acquisition to improve the economic independence of persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
Amos said the ministry had established vocational training centres across the country to equip beneficiaries with practical skills and support sustainable livelihoods.
He disclosed that the ministry operates six centres for persons with disabilities, including a school in Lagos where students receive training in Braille and other relevant skills.
At the educational level, Professor Adaka Ahon, Director of the Centre for Disability Studies at the Federal University of Lafia, said the institution had introduced measures to improve access to education for students with disabilities.
Ahon explained that the university profiles students with disabilities after admission to identify their needs and determine appropriate support.
He added that the institution had approved a 75 per cent waiver on school fees and other charges for students with disabilities, alongside priority access to hostel accommodation.
The university has also reserved two per cent of its admission slots for candidates with disabilities.
The calls highlight the need for stronger disability inclusion in Nigeria’s employment, education and economic empowerment programmes to promote equal opportunities and sustainable livelihoods.
Leave a comment