Disability Rights Advocate: Fewer Than 1% of Nigeria’s 35 Million PWDs Are in Professional Jobs

Fewer than one percent of the 35 million individuals with disabilities in Nigeria are employed as professionals.

Olusola Adeyefa, the Co-Founder of Ability Impact Centre, revealed on Channels Television's Sunrise that inadequate access to quality education—primarily due to its high cost—is responsible for the low level.

Realistically, when you examine the data, less than one percent of that 35 million can be considered truly professional. The reason for this isn't hard to discern.

"Education can be difficult to access, and quality education often comes at a high cost. I studied at Obafemi Awolowo University, despite facing both architectural challenges and attitudinal barriers," said Adeyefa, who sustained an injury in a road accident on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway when he was 18 years old.

When it comes to securing employment, nepotism remains an issue. I would say that the number of privileged persons with disabilities is still quite low.

"When we find ourselves in a position of privilege as individuals with disabilities, our role is to advocate for others by guiding and creating opportunities for them," he added.

Adeyefa mentioned that the 2024 State of Disability Inclusion Report indicated that in several states where the disability rights law has been adopted, agencies are actively enforcing it.

Nevertheless, he mentioned that certain ones were less functional and required strengthening along with sufficient funding.