By Abbas Nazil
Stakeholders have called for urgent reforms to Nigeria’s climate response to address barriers preventing persons with disabilities from accessing early warning systems, evacuation centres and emergency services, warning that exclusion increases mortality risks during floods, heatwaves and other climate-related disasters.
The demand was made at a Media Engagement Session on Disability-Inclusive Climate Action organised by the Inclusive Friends Association (IFA) in Abuja. Participants, including disability advocates and journalists, urged the government to ensure women and girls with disabilities are fully integrated into national climate policies and programmes.
Speakers said climate change is compounding existing inequalities. Persons with disabilities face additional challenges related to mobility, access to information, healthcare, livelihoods and participation in decision-making processes.
Citing global data, stakeholders noted that the World Health Organisation estimates 16 per cent of the world’s population lives with a disability, and that this group experiences disproportionately higher mortality during disasters.
According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, about 80 per cent of persons with disabilities live in the Global South, where exposure to climate hazards is high. A UNDRR survey further found that only one in four persons with disabilities can easily follow evacuation instructions, while just 11 per cent are aware if a disaster management plan exists in their community.
“These figures expose a critical gap in disaster preparedness,” stakeholders said, pointing to emergency warnings that are not delivered through formats accessible to people with different disabilities.
Grace Jerry, Executive Director of IFA, said women and girls with disabilities face overlapping vulnerabilities due to gender inequality and disability-related exclusion. She cited examples: a wheelchair user unable to reach an evacuation centre without accessible transport; a deaf person missing an audio warning without sign language or text alerts; and a visually impaired person unable to navigate an unfamiliar evacuation route despite receiving a warning.
Jerry described inaccessibility as a climate risk and urged the government to mainstream disability inclusion into climate policy from the outset, rather than as an afterthought.
She also called for a shift in narrative, urging that women and girls with disabilities be recognised as leaders, advocates, innovators and contributors to climate solutions, not only as victims. Their lived experiences, she added, should directly inform adaptation programmes.
Jerry noted that Nigeria’s National Climate Change Policy 2021–2030 provides for the inclusion of vulnerable groups, but said stronger implementation mechanisms are needed to translate policy into impact.
Rifkatu Odeyemi, speaking on the media’s role, said journalists act as gatekeepers, translators and watchdogs in climate reporting. She urged the media to amplify the experiences of marginalised communities, simplify technical information, and hold government accountable on inclusive service delivery.
Dr Kehinde Ogunbiyi, Head of Education at the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, called on policymakers to co-design climate policies with Organisations of Persons with Disabilities. He stressed that persons with disabilities face multiple forms of discrimination during emergencies and emphasised the need for stronger partnerships between disability groups, climate advocates and the media.
Stephen Idoko, IFA Programme Manager and Rise Up Leader, said the organisation is implementing a project to strengthen women and girls with disabilities in climate justice, with focus on rural, low-income and climate-vulnerable communities. He said IFA is advocating for the formal adoption of a National Guideline on Disability-Inclusive Climate Action by May 2027.
Participants also urged media houses to train reporters on disability-inclusive coverage and adopt editorial guidelines that ensure accuracy, respect and dignity. They recommended direct interviews with persons with disabilities, obtaining informed consent for stories and images, and avoiding generalizations from individual experiences.
The session concluded with calls on government to: develop disability-disaggregated climate data; make early warning systems accessible; provide accessible evacuation centres and emergency services; allocate dedicated funding for disability-inclusive climate action; and include disability organisations in climate governance structures.
Stakeholders maintained that climate action cannot be considered inclusive if those most exposed to climate risks are unable to receive warnings, access shelters, participate in decisions, or benefit from adaptation measures.
