The Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) has expressed concern over the slow implementation of Nigeria’s commitments under the 2025 Global Disability Summit (GDS), warning that millions of persons with disabilities could remain excluded from critical services if urgent action is not taken.

The association called for stronger accountability and improved coordination among government institutions to ensure that the commitments translate into measurable improvements in the lives of persons with disabilities across the country.

Speaking at a roundtable on Nigeria’s 2025 GDS Commitments in Abuja on Wednesday, JONAPWD National President, Abdullahi Aliyu Usman, said the commitments made by Nigeria at the summit should serve as a framework for advancing disability inclusion and holding government accountable for its obligations to persons with disabilities.

Usman, who was represented by the association’s Programme Officer,  Bukunmi Adejumo, said the Global Disability Summit was established to bridge the gap between disability inclusion and development cooperation while promoting accountability, partnerships and inclusive development.

He noted that disability issues are often overlooked in national conversations despite their significance to millions of Nigerians, stressing that the summit provides an opportunity to place disability inclusion at the centre of policy discussions and development planning.

According to him, Nigeria participated in previous editions of the summit held in London in 2018 and 2022 before making fresh commitments at the 2025 summit in Berlin, Germany.

The Global Disability Summit, created in 2017, serves as a platform that brings together governments, development agencies, civil society groups and organisations of persons with disabilities to advance disability-inclusive development and humanitarian action, particularly in countries of the Global South.

Usman explained that after the 2025 summit, JONAPWD brought together stakeholders from organisations of persons with disabilities to develop an action plan that would support engagement with government institutions and help track implementation of the commitments.

He said Nigeria made commitments across 12 thematic areas, including digital inclusion, financing for disability inclusion, inclusive education, legal capacity, humanitarian action, private sector participation, social protection, inclusive healthcare, accessible infrastructure, community inclusion, employment and climate resilience.

One of the major commitments, he said, focuses on access to digital information and communication, including the adoption of accessibility standards in broadcasting and greater use of sign language interpretation and captioning.

“Most times when government activities are taking place, you hardly hear anything around disability inclusion. That is why platforms like the Global Disability Summit are important to drive commitments and accountability,” he said.

Usman described accessibility as one of the most critical issues affecting persons with disabilities, noting that many public facilities, roads and buildings remain inaccessible despite the existence of regulations designed to address such barriers.

He said Nigeria’s building code already contains provisions for accessibility but lamented that compliance remains poor.

“We have accessibility standards embedded in our building codes, but somehow those provisions are often ignored during implementation. If we get accessibility right, many of the challenges in education, healthcare, employment and social protection will be significantly reduced,” he said.

The JONAPWD president also expressed concern over the state of inclusive education in the country, arguing that many children with disabilities remain excluded from quality learning opportunities.

He noted that although government has committed to reducing the number of out-of-school children by 2028, deliberate efforts must be made to ensure children with disabilities are not left behind.

According to him, some schools described as inclusive still fail to adequately cater for learners with different disabilities, resulting in situations where some students are unable to effectively participate in classroom activities.

On healthcare, Usman said accessibility, affordability and equity remain major concerns for persons with disabilities.

He pointed to challenges faced by deaf patients in health facilities where sign language interpreters are unavailable, as well as difficulties in accessing assistive devices and disability-friendly healthcare services.

He further questioned the extent to which health insurance schemes and social protection programmes adequately cater for persons with disabilities.

“We keep hearing that persons with disabilities are among the poorest in society, yet many government livelihood and social protection programmes are not reaching them in significant numbers,” he said.

Usman disclosed that recent disability-disaggregated data indicated that Nigeria has more than 32 million persons with disabilities, underscoring the need for deliberate inclusion in government policies and interventions.

The association also called for stronger disability inclusion in humanitarian and emergency response programmes, stressing that relief interventions, early warning systems and disaster management strategies should be designed to accommodate persons with disabilities.

Usman referenced provisions of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, which require priority consideration for persons with disabilities during emergencies.

He said humanitarian agencies must institutionalise disability-inclusive approaches to ensure that vulnerable groups are not excluded during disaster response efforts.

While acknowledging some progress in policy development and institutional reforms, Usman maintained that implementation remains slow.

“Yes, we have seen policy and institutional progress. We have programmes and actions that have been introduced. But it remains evident that implementation is slow. We need stronger voices, stronger commitment, more coordination and greater accountability,” he said.