Disability Groups, partners validate research on under-represented clusters

By Musa Baba Adamu w

A coalition of disability rights organizations yesterday convened in Abuja to validate a new research document examining the political, economic, and gender realities of some of the least-represented clusters within Nigeria’s disability community.
The event, held under the Rights in Action project and supported by CBM Global Disability Inclusion and the Government of Finland, brought together Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), and advocates pushing for stronger inclusion.
Speaking at the session, Executive Director of Inclusive Friends Association (IFA), Grace Jerry Mshelia, said the research was designed to identify gaps in existing policies and collaborations affecting underrepresented disability groups.
She said: “The deaf community, persons with psychosocial disabilities, and those with intellectual disabilities have not enjoyed the visibility they deserve within the disability movement
“This project looks at how policies can better capture their needs, not just policies for ticking boxes, but policies that are implementable.”
She expressed hope that the commitments emerging from the meeting would guide MDAs and OPDs to “carry the marginalized groups closely in the effort of leaving no one behind.”
Also speaking, Comrade Mike Gideon, North-Central Zonal Coordinator of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), representing the National President, Comrade Abdallah Usman, said the project’s focus on the deaf community, persons with psychosocial disabilities, and persons with intellectual disabilities was timely and long overdue.
He said: “These three clusters are the most vulnerable, yet less attention is being given to them. People often treat disability rights as charity, forgetting that the Constitution guarantees fundamental human rights that also apply to persons with disabilities.”
He commended the IFA and CBM Global for supporting the research initiative, calling for full implementation once the document is validated.
“Our major concern is implementation. After validation, we expect clear and full implementation of the recommendations. That has always been the challenge.”
On his part, Cedric Owuru, Programme Officer at CBM Global, said the project aligns with CBM’s mission to end the cycle of poverty, inequality and disability.
He said: “Marginalisation and exclusion remain major drivers of poverty and disability in Nigeria. Even among marginalized groups, these three clusters are further marginalized.”
Owuru highlighted the advocacy priorities identified by the research to include enforcement of the Mental Health Act for the psychosocial cluster, full implementation of inclusive education policies for the intellectual disability cluster, and recognition of sign language as a national language for the deaf community.
“These demands are not new; they are already backed by law,” he noted, citing the National Disability Act, the African Disability Protocol and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, all of which Nigeria has committed to.
He emphasized that MDAs must coordinate effectively with OPDs, the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, and JONAPWD to ensure real progress.
“There are many efforts already, but they can be better. With genuine collaboration, implementation will not be a problem.”
Other stakeholders called for renewed call for stronger government commitment, improved policy execution, and continued partnership to uplift the voices of the underrepresented clusters in Nigeria’s disability community.