By Christian Agbo
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Executive Director of the Advocacy for Women with Disabilities Initiative (AWWDI), Mrs. Patience Ogolo Dickson, has intensified calls for Nigeria to fully integrate disability inclusion and gender equality into its national disaster management and climate emergency policies, insisting that no disaster response system can be effective if it leaves behind women, girls, and persons with disabilities.
Mrs. Dickson made the passionate appeal during the Stakeholders’ Inception Workshop on the Review of the National Disaster Response Plan (NDRP) and the National Disaster Management Framework (NDMF), organised by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in collaboration with the World Bank. AWWDI’s participation was supported through its ongoing Disability Rights Fund (DRF)-funded project aimed at promoting inclusive humanitarian action and climate resilience.
Speaking before senior government officials, development partners, humanitarian organisations, civil society groups, disaster management experts and Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), Mrs. Dickson stressed that disaster management policies must deliberately recognise the unique experiences and needs of persons with disabilities rather than treating disability inclusion as an afterthought.
According to her, disasters such as floods, disease outbreaks, conflicts and other humanitarian emergencies affect entire communities, but women, girls and persons with disabilities often experience the harshest consequences because they remain largely excluded from disaster preparedness, emergency communication, evacuation plans and recovery interventions.
She noted that building resilient communities requires disability inclusion to be embedded across every stage of disaster risk management—from preparedness and early warning systems to emergency response, rehabilitation, recovery and long-term climate adaptation.
Mrs. Dickson emphasised that meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in policy formulation and implementation is essential to achieving sustainable and equitable disaster management in Nigeria.
She further warned that the increasing effects of climate change continue to deepen existing inequalities, exposing women and girls with disabilities to greater risks of displacement, poverty, violence, food insecurity and exclusion during emergencies.
Calling for urgent action, the AWWDI Executive Director urged government institutions, humanitarian actors, development partners and Organisations of Persons with Disabilities to strengthen collaboration in designing disaster response mechanisms that are accessible, inclusive and responsive to the realities of persons with disabilities.
During the technical sessions, Mrs. Dickson led AWWDI’s contributions by presenting practical recommendations for strengthening disability inclusion within Nigeria’s disaster management framework. These included accessible emergency communication systems, disability-disaggregated data collection, inclusive evacuation procedures, accessible temporary shelters, and the institutionalisation of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities throughout disaster planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
Her interventions attracted widespread support from participants, who acknowledged that inclusive disaster management is critical to ensuring that vulnerable populations are protected before, during and after emergencies.
The workshop, convened by NEMA and the World Bank, forms part of Nigeria’s efforts to review and strengthen its National Disaster Response Plan and National Disaster Management Framework to address emerging threats, including climate change, insecurity, urban disasters and public health emergencies.
The event was officially declared open by the Director General of NEMA, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, while the Director of Planning, Research and Forecasting, Dr. Godwin Tepikor, the World Bank’s Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist, Dr. Francis Nkoka, and the DRF Africa Programme Officer reaffirmed their commitment to supporting more inclusive and resilient disaster management systems.
Participants unanimously agreed that disability inclusion and gender responsiveness should be fully mainstreamed into the revised national policy documents, while NEMA pledged to incorporate stakeholders’ recommendations before the final validation process.
For Mrs. Patience Ogolo Dickson, the workshop represents another significant milestone in AWWDI’s sustained advocacy for disability rights, gender equality and climate justice. Through the organisation’s Disability Rights Fund-supported interventions, she has continued to champion policies that amplify the voices of women and girls with disabilities and ensure they are active participants in national development and humanitarian decision-making.
Her advocacy reinforces the growing recognition that an inclusive disaster management system is not only a matter of social justice but also a prerequisite for building a safer, more resilient Nigeria where every citizen—regardless of disability—has equal access to protection, assistance and opportunities to recover from disasters.
