The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) have agreed to establish a Joint Technical Committee aimed at strengthening nationwide implementation of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018.
The decision was reached during a courtesy visit on Thursday by the Executive Secretary of NCPWD, Hon. Ayuba Burki Gufwan, to the NOA Headquarters in Abuja, where he met with the Director-General of the Agency, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, and senior officials.
Gufwan said the Act’s five-year transition period had elapsed, making full enforcement a national imperative. He stressed that NOA’s nationwide communication network is crucial for driving public awareness and ensuring compliance with disability rights and accessibility standards.
“Our mandate is to promote inclusion, ensure equal opportunities and guarantee the participation of persons with disabilities in all spheres of national life,” he said. “To achieve this, we urgently require a national disability database, full implementation of accessibility standards, and strict adherence to the 5% employment quota across MDAs.”
He added that countries that have made progress in disability inclusion achieved it through reliable data systems, adequate funding and strong enforcement, noting that Nigeria must follow a similar path to ensure no citizen is left behind.
Responding, NOA Director-General Issa-Onilu reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to supporting nationwide sensitization and promoting the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities.
“The greatest form of empowerment is not giving money but enabling people to understand and demand their rights,” he said. “The Commission cannot do it alone; it requires collective responsibility. The priority is not only about data but about guaranteeing accessibility and ensuring every public institution complies with the law.”
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Issa-Onilu added that NOA’s 818 offices across the 774 local government areas and zonal directorates position the Agency as a strong partner in national behavioural change campaigns. He pledged that NOA would intensify awareness drives, incorporate sign language interpretation into its outreach efforts and amplify disability rights messaging.
During the meeting, the Director of Social Development at NCPWD, Mr. Lawrence Idemudia, commended NOA for already integrating sign language into its campaigns and requested a monthly national awareness slot to support NCPWD’s public education efforts.
The engagement ended with an exchange of publications and documents between both agencies, symbolizing a renewed collaboration to drive disability inclusion across Nigeria.
