Persons Living With Disabilities (PLWDs) in Ogun State, under the aegis of 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 ensure the full implementation of the Ogun State Disability Law before the expiration of his administration.
The bodies made the plea on Wednesday at a joint press briefing held at the NUJ Hall, Iwe Iroyin House, Abeokuta, describing the situation as a case of moving the law ‘from paper to action.’
Tribune Online recalled that the Ogun State Disability Law was assented to by former governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, in 2017.
The groups lamented that almost nine years after its enactment, the law had yet to reach the stage of full operational implementation.
The National President of the Spinal Cord Injuries Association of Nigeria, Abdulwahab Matepo, said the delay had left persons with disabilities waiting for the legal framework to translate into functioning institutions, enforceable protections, accessible systems and practical opportunities.
Matepo explained that JONAPWD’s estimated data put the number of persons living with disabilities in Ogun State at 1,032,221, based on a 15 per cent benchmark applied to the National Population Commission’s 2025 population projection.
He stressed that behind the figures were people seeking access to education, healthcare, employment, transportation, infrastructure, economic opportunities and political participation without discrimination.
Similarly, the state chairman of JONAPWD, Ayo Awobona, said the groups had previously engaged with the Ogun State House of Assembly, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, traditional rulers and other stakeholders since 2025, including proposals for amendments to address identified gaps in the existing law.
Awobona also disclosed that a delegation of the disability community met with the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Oluwasina Olanrewaju Ogungbade, SAN, a few months ago, during which he assured them that he would work on the law and provide an update within two weeks.
The JONAPWD chairman acknowledged that the existing law might require amendments and urged the government to operationalise the law in accordance with due process while pursuing any necessary amendments simultaneously.
He further explained that the non-implementation of the law had practical consequences for PLWDs, including inaccessible public institutions, inadequate inclusive education and transportation, discrimination, harmful practices and limited participation in governance and decision-making.
JONAPWD and SCIAN emphasised that persons with disabilities were not seeking charity, but ‘rights, dignity, equality, accessibility, participation and inclusion,’ calling on Governor Abiodun to provide the necessary political direction to ensure that the process of implementing the law was concluded before the expiration of his tenure.
The groups also charged political parties and governorship candidates to make disability inclusion part of their policy agenda, while calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure accessible polling units, voting materials and appropriate assistance for persons with disabilities.