With an estimated 25 million disabled persons in Nigeria, about one in every eight Nigerians live with at least one form of disability. Most common of these disabilities are visual impairment, hearing impairment, physical impairment, intellectual impairment, and communication impairment. Disabilities could be caused by preventable diseases, congenital malformation, birth-related incidents, physical injury and psychological dysfunction. Although statistics are scanty about the demographic distribution of disability in Nigeria, available literature suggests that there are significantly more disabled women than men in the country and that due to the insurgency in the North-East, the region hosts the highest number of people with disability in the country.
Despite the fact that many disabilities are preventable, the significantly high number of disabled people in Nigeria is disturbing. For instance, the increasing growth in the number of disabled persons has been directed linked to the lack of medical facilities in the country. Arguably also, disabilities resulting from insecurity, violence, and even accidents which are proliferating in Nigeria could have been minimized through improved institutions and enhanced systems.
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 10 aims to reduce inequality by empowering and promoting the social, economic and political inclusion of all, including persons with disabilities. Also, Goal 11 would Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
However, social protection for disabled people in Nigeria is still relatively weak. For example, while government claim it is implementing measures to promote and enhance the entrepreneurial skills of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), the recently approved Discrimination Against Person with Disability (Prohibition) Act was only accented after years of relentless advocacy by disability rights groups and activists. Yet, the law has neither significantly improved the real ‘protection’ for PWDs nor as it reduced the social, political, and economic exclusion they suffer. PWDs are still often discriminated against across the country.
Discrimination against PWDs in Nigeria stems from the negative public perception of people with disabilities in communities across the country. In many communities, PWDs are commonly viewed as accursed due to misinformed cultural beliefs. This has led to poor identification, evaluation, screening, and placement of children with disabilities.
Other manifestations of discrimination against PWDs in Nigeria include limited access to employment and use of public spaces, stigmatization, unsolicited and discriminatory sympathy, and limited access to quality education. For instance, Cobhams Asuquo, a visually impaired Nigerian singer, songwriter and music producer reflected that his education could have been truncated due to the huge cost of accessing braille materials.
Cobham’s story is similar to Lucy Ejike’s, a Nigerian Paralympic champion, who suffered from polio as a child causing her to be a cripple. While narrating the challenges she experienced in the course of her education, she stated that lack of elevators and other facilities that could aid movement in the university made it difficult for her to access lecture halls.
In some cases, discrimination might be in the form of withdrawal by friends and acquaintances. This is the case for David Anyaele whose hands were hacked off by warlords while he was transacting business in Sierra Leone. When he returned to the country, many of his friends deserted him and even his fiancée abandoned him.
PWDs are also excluded from political participation. Despite the anti-discriminatory law in support of PWDs in the country, they are noticeably absent in politics and public offices in Nigeria. In fact, David Anyaele stated that the Nigerian media still address disability issues as a charity issue rather than a public policy concern. As a result, the political class often use PWDs to mop up sympathy votes to win elections and neglect them after.
The effects of discrimination and exclusion on PWDs are poverty, lack of economic independence, health challenges, and continued dependence on others for sustenance. Some end up on the street begging and scavenging on food to survive. In the North-Eastern part of the country where persistent conflicts have increased the number of PWDs, disabled persons are unable to pursue economic activities, earn a livelihood, and enjoy social and cultural life. This negative impact is usually more felt by women and children who are more prone to all kinds of vulnerability.
In an interview with PWDs by Grassroots Researchers Associations (GRA), disabled persons in the crisis-prone the North-Eastern States of Nigeria reported that their rights are violated in many different ways including opposition by communities against marital relations with non-disabled persons, denial of medical services due to inability to pay bills, denial of access to opportunities (such as participation in pilgrimage trips to holy lands, and denial of access to participation in school competitions. They are also denied the opportunity to rent houses and commercial properties in some cases. In addition, the surveyed PWDs reported that their rights to political representation, quality education, and to life are often been violated.
Truthfully, different regimes of policies have been introduced to offer more robust protection for disabled persons in the country. They include the National Policy on Inclusive Education (2016), the National Health Act (2014), the National Health Policy (2016), Policy on Albinism, and the Framework on Access and Participation. However, the continued outcries of PWDs raise serious questions on the policies and measures that have initiated to tackle discrimination against disabled persons and to promote inclusion in the country. Equally, the series of beliefs and public perception of disabled persons is worrisome. However, it is disturbing a very significant proportion of the Nigerian population remain unprotected due to conditions and situations outside their control. This alone raises serious questions on Nigeria’s acclaimed democracy.