…as stakeholders demand full implementation of the law
The Federal Government has approved a budget line dedicated to health care programs that include people with disabilities throughout the country.
The Acting Director of the Department of Family Health, Federal Ministry of Health and Welfare, Dr. John Ovuoraye, disclosed this in Abuja, during the Symposium on the Current Situation and Progress in the Implementation of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, organized by the Voice of Disability Initiative (VDI) to commemorate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). 2025.
He said the initiative marked a decisive shift from dependence on donors to sustained government funding for disability interventions.
Ovuoraye said the Minister of Health, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, approved the budget line, noting that universal health coverage would remain unattainable if people with disabilities were not deliberately included in planning and financing.
“We already have a Disability Inclusion Officer in the department, but beyond that, the Minister has approved a direct budget line to implement disability plans and programs.
“This is government funding dedicated strictly to inclusion, separate from contributions from donors and the Basic Health Care Delivery Fund,” he explained.
Ovuoraye added that the new funding stream will support accessibility improvements at health facilities, such as adequate ramps, widened doors, accessible toilets, color-coded navigation for the visually impaired, and trained support staff for hearing- or dual-impaired patients.
According to him, the directive issued in 2024 to all federal and tertiary health centers to improve accessibility will now be supported by predictable funding, ensuring nationwide implementation rather than ad hoc modifications.
Ovuoraye said the disability budget line aligns with the Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018, which requires each ministry to implement sector-specific components for persons with disabilities.
“Each Ministry has responsibilities under the 2018 Law. For us in health, this budget line ensures that we can fulfill our mandate without waiting for donors. The population of people with disabilities is large and more resources are needed, but this represents a crucial starting point,” he said.
He noted that while previous administrations have attempted to allocate funding for disability inclusion, the provision for 2024/2025 is separate, larger and more structured.
In her speech, VDI Executive Director Catherine Edeh charged the federal government, civil society organizations (CSOs) and the public to go beyond rhetoric and fully implement policies that include people with disabilities, adding that inclusion is a right, not a charity.
She noted the daily challenges faced by persons with disabilities in Nigeria, noting that women and girls with disabilities face increased risks of gender-based violence, are denied access to education, and often struggle to access employment, healthcare and justice.
“These are not abstract statistics. They are lived experiences, painful daily reminders that disability inclusion is not a privilege, it is a right,” he stressed.
It called for the full implementation of the Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018, greater investment in disability-inclusive justice systems, institutional reforms to mainstream accessibility across sectors, and sustainable partnerships between government, civil society, international partners and the disability community.
For his part, the Director of Compliance and Enforcement of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, Nkem Uchegbulam, said that the law now provides legal protections.
He said: “Today we commemorate the International Disability Day for Persons with Disabilities in a different style. We celebrate it because we have a right under the law.
“The Commission will enforce all applicable laws that say people with disabilities must be integrated into society,” he said.
Also speaking was the Chief Facilitator of the Edoka Trauma Care Centre, Ene Ede, who highlighted the need for accountability and active participation of all organisations, advocating for synergy with CSOs and the media with a view to monitoring the proper implementation of the Disability Act.
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