Nigeria today joined the global community to commemorate the 2025 International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), with the National Leader of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in the All Progressives Congress (APC), Durotolu Bankole, calling for urgent, coordinated action to build a more inclusive society for millions of Nigerians living with disabilities.
In a statement issued in Abuja, Bankole said this year’s theme, “Fostering Disability-Inclusive Societies for Advancing Social Progress,” serves as a powerful reminder that true national development cannot be achieved unless persons with disabilities enjoy equal opportunities and full participation in public life.
Bankole noted that since the United Nations designated December 3 as IDPD in 1992, the day has highlighted the moral and developmental responsibility to ensure dignity and inclusion for all. He emphasized that the theme aligns with the Doha Political Declaration, urging countries to eliminate discriminatory barriers and embed disability inclusion across all sectors.
While celebrating global icons such as Stephen Hawking, Haben Girma, and South Africa’s Natalie du Toit all of whom defied physical limitations to achieve excellence. Bankole said their stories demonstrate the limitless potential that emerges when societies remove barriers.
However, he lamented that in Nigeria, many PWDs still face significant obstacles in education, employment, healthcare, transportation, and political representation. Despite the enactment of the Discrimination Against Persons With Disabilities (Prohibition) Act of 2018, he noted that implementation remains slow and uneven.
Bankole commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for strengthening disability inclusion through expanded social protection programmes, accessible education initiatives, and targeted interventions. He also praised First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu for championing the welfare of vulnerable women and children with disabilities.
Within the APC, Bankole acknowledged the National Working Committee led by Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda for institutionalizing disability representation and giving PWDs strategic roles within the party an approach he urged other political parties to adopt.
He highlighted his personal contributions, which include scholarships, grants, medical support, mobility aids, and welfare packages for thousands of PWDs nationwide.
But he stressed that the journey toward full inclusion remains long and difficult. Rising economic hardship, unemployment, and the high cost of assistive devices, he said, continue to worsen vulnerability among PWDs.
Bankole called for accelerated implementation and domestication of the 2018 Disability Act; the development of a 10-year National Disability Inclusion Strategy (2026–2035) with clear and measurable targets; regular accessibility audits of public buildings, schools, workplaces, and transportation systems; stronger disability representation within political parties; collaboration between government and the private sector to expand entrepreneurship and employment opportunities; and nationwide public enlightenment campaigns to dismantle stigma and harmful cultural myths.
He emphasized that inclusion is not an act of charity but a fundamental human right and a prerequisite for national progress.
“A nation that marginalises any segment of its population ultimately impoverishes itself,” Bankole said. “But a nation that embraces full inclusion unlocks boundless innovation, productivity, and shared prosperity.”
He concluded with a call for renewed commitment under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to build a Nigeria where persons with disabilities have equal access to education, employment, mobility, and political participation.
“We can and we will create a truly inclusive Nigeria where every citizen has a seat at the table and a stake in our national progress,” he said.
