By EricJames Ochigbo
The Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities (JONAPWD) has called for the full impeachmentation of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, to appropriate representation of PWD in governance.
The President, Mr Abdulahi Usman made the call at a news conference to unveil JONAPWD Demography Count and 10-Year Strategic Advocacy Plan in Abuja on Wednesday.
He said that the full implementation of the Act will also ensure full participation of PWD in the forthcoming 2027 general election.
According to Usman, from available and verifiable data, it is clear that the population of PWD can significantly change the country.
He said that there are no fewer than 35 million PWD in the country out of which 28 million are eligible voters which is more than total number of vote cast in the 2023 general election.
“Our demand is captured in the Disability Act and it says at least five per cent representation in ministerial seats, five per cent of legislative seats, five percent of commissioner seats as well as five per cent at the Local Government level,” he said.
Usman explained that for decades, the disability community in the country operated without a reliable baseline of demographic information which is foundational for meaningful planning, inclusive policymaking, and targeted interventions.
The national president said that the report represents an important step toward closing that long-standing gap.
“Globally, a working assumption places persons with disabilities at approximately 15 per cent of every national population.
“In Nigeria, applying this global benchmark to the 2025 projections of the National Population Commission gives us a clearer, though still evolving, picture of the magnitude of our community across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
To strengthen this understanding, we have incorporated patterns, realities, and lived experiences shared directly by leaders of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) nationwide.
“Their insights rooted in daily advocacy and lived expertise have been instrumental in shaping the contours of this assumptive dataset,” he said.
The national president said that at JONAPWD, particularly attention is paid to the evolving nature of disability.
According to him, the narrative is shifting beyond only visible disabilities to include millions of Nigerians, especially young people with mental health conditions, psychosocial disabilities, and other less visible forms of impairments.
“Our goal in producing this assumptive report is clear and addresses longstanding gaps caused by the absence of comprehensive disability data, gaps that have hindered effective programme design, equitable resource allocation, and evidence-based policy formulation for far too long.
“Without accurate data, inclusion remains an aspiration rather than an achievable standard,” he said.
Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, Mr Mohammed Isa commended JONAPWD for the initiative.
He said that document represents a significant milestone in the collective effort to advance inclusive development and evidence-based policy making for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) across Nigeria.
Isa said that various figures have often been cited with some estimaning the population of PWDs at 25 million and others projecting between 35 and 40 million largely based on conjecture or fragmented information.
“Without reliable data, even the best intentions toward inclusion cannot translate into measurable impact.
“Data is the foundation of effective planning, policy formulation, project implementation, and the achievement of development objectives.
“The exploratory database presented in this publication provides a much-needed empirical foundation.
“The 2025 projection contained in this document estimates that the population of Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria is in the neighbourhood of 35 million, with detailed disaggregation across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
“The analysis shows that Kano state has the highest estimated population of PWD at approximately 2.5 million, closely followed by Lagos state with about 2.1 million.
“According to the findings, the Physical Disability cluster constitutes the largest group with about 8.2 million persons, followed closely by the Deaf community, which accounts for approximately 7.7 million persons.
“In terms of gender distribution, the data indicates that male Persons with Disabilities number over 17.6 million, while female Persons with Disabilities account for approximately 17.2 million.
“These insights provide critical clarity about the diversity and scale of the disability community in Nigeria. This level of detail is not only commendable but also transformative,” he said.
Also, the Secretary of the National Population Commission (NPC), Mr Daniel Adeyi said that the commission endorsed the data provided by JONAPWD.
He recommended that the document be circulated across all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government as well development partners and other stakeholders as a working document.