Implement disability law before leaving office – Ogun PWDs beg Abiodun

The Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, JONAPWD, and the Spinal Cord Injuries Association of Nigeria, SCIAN, have appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun to fully implement the Ogun State Disability Law before his tenure expires in eight months.

The groups made the call on Wednesday at a joint press briefing held at the NUJ Press Centre, Iwe Iroyin House, Oke-Ilewo, Abeokuta.

Recall that the Ogun State Disability Law was signed by former Governor Ibikunle Amosun on December 27, 2017, but nearly nine years after, it is yet to be fully operationalised.

Speaking at the briefing, the National President of SCIAN, Abdulwahab Matepo, and the Chairman of JONAPWD, Ogun State chapter, Ayo Awobona, said persons with disabilities were still waiting for the law to translate into functioning institutions and enforceable protections.

“A law passed to protect the rights of persons with disabilities must not remain a law on paper. It must become a law in action,” they said.

The groups said they had engaged the state government through meetings, consultations, letters, courtesy visits and media advocacy since 2025 without any concrete result.

They stressed that their campaign was not to confront the government but to ensure that commitments are turned into action.

According to them, discussions about possible amendments to the law should not be allowed to delay its implementation indefinitely.

They argued that the government can operationalise the existing law in line with legal procedures while pursuing any necessary amendments through the legislature.

The organisations lamented that non-implementation has had serious consequences for persons with disabilities in education, healthcare, transportation, employment, economic participation and political engagement.

They cited 2025 JONAPWD data, which estimated that about 1,032,221 persons are living with disabilities in Ogun State, using a 15 per cent benchmark of the National Population Commission’s projection, against the World Health Organisation’s global estimate of 16 per cent.

Matepo said the disability community remains ready to partner with government, provide technical input and mobilise its members, but partnership must produce results.

“We have demonstrated patience. We have written letters, attended meetings, made courtesy visits and engaged legal experts. The next step should now be action,” Matepo said.

“We respectfully call on His Excellency, Prince Dapo Abiodun, to provide the necessary political direction to ensure that the process of implementing the disability law is concluded before the expiration of his term.”

On his part, Awobona called on all political parties and governorship candidates ahead of the 2027 elections to make disability inclusion a core part of their agenda.

He urged candidates to publicly commit to implementing the law and to engage persons with disabilities directly on inclusive governance.

“Our advocacy is not partisan. We also call on INEC to ensure that the 2027 elections are fully inclusive with accessible polling units, voting materials and appropriate assistance,” Awobona added.