ABUJA, Nigeria – May 13, 2025 – In a bold step toward building an inclusive Nigeria where physical structures are accessible to all, the National Commission for People with Disabilities (NCPWD) has launched a high-level training and advocacy workshop aimed at strengthening regulatory compliance with accessibility standards.
Held at Hotel 2020, Wuye, Abuja, the three-day workshop, themed “Training of Accessibility Audit Firms and Personnel,” convened building approval authorities, urban planners, physical accessibility experts, and certified audit firms from across Nigeria. The goal: to equip key actors in infrastructure development with the knowledge and tools needed to design, approve, and construct environments that are inclusive and barrier-free for people with disabilities.
From Policy to Practice: Making Accessibility a Reality
Opening the event, Mr. Bitrus Iliya, Director of the Accessibility Department at NCPWD, described the training as a crucial turning point in the Commission’s ongoing campaign for physical inclusion across Nigeria.
“This training marks a pivotal moment in our collective efforts to eliminate physical barriers in Nigeria,” he said. “Our goal is to ensure that building approval authorities and accessibility professionals are fully equipped to implement and enforce national standards. Accessibility is not a privilege—it is a right that must be protected and upheld in all aspects of development.”
Mr. Iliya underscored the urgency of translating accessibility laws into enforceable standards and ensuring that government institutions and private developers no longer treat accessibility as an afterthought, but a core design principle from the onset of every project.
Law and Dignity: Accessibility as a Human Right
Delivering a powerful legal perspective at the event, Justice Daniel Christopher, a representative of the Association of Lawyers with Disabilities in Nigeria, emphasized that accessibility is fundamentally about dignity and equal rights.
“Accessibility means creating physical environments and delivering services that everyone can use, regardless of disability,” he noted. “This is not merely a technical requirement—it is a matter of human dignity and fundamental rights. People with disabilities deserve to go wherever they choose and participate fully in society.”
Justice Christopher called on architects, engineers, and building approval authorities to internalize the legal implications of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, warning that non-compliance is not only unethical but now a prosecutable offense.
Bridging the Gap Between Design and Inclusion
Over the course of the workshop, participants engaged in expert-led technical sessions covering topics such as:
- National and international accessibility standards, including the Nigerian Building Code and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD);
- Best practices in accessibility auditing methodologies;
- Inclusive urban design principles;
- Mainstreaming disability considerations into the approval process for both public and private infrastructure.
Participants also shared practical case studies of inaccessible buildings and brainstormed on policy reforms that could compel compliance across Nigeria’s rapidly expanding construction sector.
Training the Gatekeepers of Inclusive Infrastructure
The workshop positioned accessibility audit firms and building approval authorities as frontline enforcers of inclusion. Their decisions influence whether a person using a wheelchair can access a government office, or whether a visually impaired person can safely navigate a public hospital or school.
“Too often, buildings are approved and constructed without even the most basic accessibility features like ramps, tactile indicators, or elevators,” said Engr. Titi Bello, a consultant at the workshop. “We are here to change that narrative.”
She added that accessibility is not a cost—it is an investment in human capital, one that enhances productivity, mobility, and economic participation for all, especially people with disabilities.
A National Mission: Inclusion Without Barriers
The NCPWD reiterated its unwavering commitment to working with relevant ministries, state and local governments, the private sector, and development partners to institutionalize accessibility at every level of Nigeria’s infrastructure development.
“We are laying the groundwork for an inclusive Nigeria—one building at a time,” said Mr. Iliya.
He stressed that the Commission will continue to monitor, audit, and sanction any violations of the accessibility provisions in the Disability Act, while also offering support to institutions willing to build with inclusion in mind.
Looking Ahead: No Going Back
As Nigeria marches toward 2030 and the deadline for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), stakeholders at the workshop agreed that Goal 11—Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable— cannot be achieved without ensuring accessibility for persons with disabilities.
“The future we want is one where no Nigerian is locked out of a building, office, or opportunity because of a physical barrier,” said Mrs. Abike Udo, an accessibility consultant and trainer. “It’s time to move from pity to policy, and from policy to practice.”
Conclusion: From Blueprints to Inclusion
As the three-day workshop concludes, it is evident that a new chapter is unfolding in Nigeria’s urban development sector—one that prioritizes equity, inclusion, and justice. The training has empowered a critical mass of professionals with the knowledge to uphold the rights of people with disabilities and to ensure that future infrastructure projects are not only beautiful but accessible to all.
For the millions of Nigerians with disabilities, this is more than a technical upgrade—it is a long-overdue promise that their country is finally building with them in mind
