Health is wealth, but a 2018 Demographic and Health Survey report shows that 8.3 per cent of Nigerians are poor in this respect. It further explains the premise to cover basic functional domains, i.e. senses, movement and communication, amongst others.
Now, you may think 8.3 per cent appears low, but when you factor in Nigeria’s population of over 200 million, we arrive at the startling estimate that 16.6 million Nigerians have at least one disability. In this regard then, one may call it an understatement; after all, the World Health Organization’s estimates there to be about 25 million disabled people in Nigeria. To put this into perspective, our seemingly measly 8.3% corresponds to over 53 per cent of the population of Ghana and almost the total population of Senegal.
A closer look at the report places sight impairment (5.7 per cent) as the most common disability. This stat was closely followed by hearing impairment (3.3 per cent), and difficulty in walking (2.4 per cent). Also, disability increased as age categorization increased. Disability increased from 2.1 per cent among Nigerians aged 5 to 9, to 12.8 per cent among those aged 40 to 49. About 42 people of those over 60 years have at least one disability.
Perhaps social variables such as smoking, alcohol consumption, low-income earning, low education, and urban dwelling which have been associated with disability risk explain the high cases of disability among Nigeria’s older population. Also, the poor state of healthcare in the country may account for this.
Disability in Nigeria by Age Group
| Age Group | No difficulty | Difficulty in at least one domain |
| 5 – 9 | 97.9 | 2.1 |
| 10 – 14 | 97.7 | 2.3 |
| 15 – 19 | 96.8 | 3.2 |
| 20 – 29 | 96.6 | 3.4 |
| 30 – 39 | 94.5 | 5.5 |
| 40 – 49 | 87.2 | 12.8 |
| 50 – 59 | 77.5 | 22.5 |
| 60+ | 58.3 | 41.7 |
| Age 15 and over | 88.6 | 11.4 |
| Total | 91.7 | 8.3 |
“Same old” story of division, with a twist
Interestingly, there are more cases of disability among urban dwellers in Nigeria than among rural dwellers. While 11.7 per cent disability was recorded for urban areas, 10.4 per cent was recorded in rural areas.
According to the report, south southern Nigeria had the most disability ratio with about 20 per cent of the population is disabled. The southeast follows closely (17 per cent), after which comes the southwest (10.8 per cent). The northeast, northcentral, and northwest accounted for 10.6%, 9.9% and 5.8% respectively.
The result of throwing in a pandemic into a disparaged healthcare system
Despite the high number of disabled people in Nigeria, there are indications that this group of people are often excluded from social and political processes. They are noticeably absent in politics and public offices in the country. According to David Anyaele, the Executive Director of Centre for Citizen with Disabilities, disability is still often considered as a charity issue rather than a public policy concern. Thus, Nigeria’s disabled suffer discrimination in employment, accessing education, and in other aspects of life.
Besides, social protection for disabled people is still relatively weak. Even the recently approved Discrimination Against Person with Disability (Prohibition) Act does not appear to sufficiently cater or provide real protection for Nigeria’s disabled people. And according to a DATAPHYTE report in January 2020, the disabled people of Nigeria are still excluded.
Specifically, the ongoing global pandemic has had a seriously negative toll on people, and the intensity of impact might be more with the disabled. Yet, little is known about Nigeria’s provision for this group. Despite advocacy for inclusion in the distribution of palliatives, women with disabilities across Nigeria have lamented their exclusion from intervention programmes by governments meant to cushion the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On a general note, it appears that little has been said about the necessary cushioning for people with disability in Nigeria. While the poor and small businesses have been in the centre of advocacy for government relief, it seems that the disabled have been left out. It is thus important for the Nigerian government to begin a rethink of its commitment to its disabled. She ought to provide for her disabled via relief and palliatives. In essence, there is a real need to provide social protection for Nigeria’s disabled.