The Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) has reported that no fewer than 29 million disabled persons in Nigerians.

Ms Florence Attah, the organisation’s programme officer, revealed this during a capacity-building workshop in Benin City. The workshop, themed ‘Promoting Inclusive Economic Opportunities and Community Resilience for Persons With Disabilities,’ highlighted the significant population of disabled persons in Nigeria.

Attah noted that these 29 million Nigerians are part of the 1.3 billion people with disabilities worldwide, accounting for about 16% of the global population.

Ms Attah expressed concern over the lack of comprehensive data, which she identified as a significant barrier to understanding and addressing the needs of persons with disabilities in the country. She also pointed out that the National Commission for Persons With Disabilities does not maintain an accurate database of people with disabilities in Nigeria.

She attributed the high disability rate in the country to increasing conflicts, violence, accidents, and a poor healthcare system.

In her presentation, titled ‘Understanding Disability Rights and Advocacy,’ Attah discussed various models of disability, including moral/religious, medical, charity, social, and human rights models.

The Acting Director of CCD, Mr Godwin Unumeri, also noted that the US Consulate supports the workshop through the Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund.

Unumeri explained that the project is being implemented in Abia and Edo states to build the capacity of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and public institutions to become disability-inclusive in their programmes and practices.