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Patience Nkeonyeasua Etumudon, an Assistant Director at the Delta State Ministry of Justice, has urged Nigerians to move beyond rhetoric and actively end discrimination against persons with disabilities.
Speaking in Asaba at a town hall organised by News Central TV, she pointed to a major gap between existing laws and their enforcement.
“The problem is not with the laws, it is with we as individuals, we as a corporate entity, and we as a nation. Not until we decide that we want to implement these laws, we’ll still keep grappling with every problem we have,” she said.
Etumudon stressed that Nigeria already has clear legal protections, particularly in employment.
“The Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Act 2018 prohibits discrimination on the basis of employment. You are not supposed to discriminate against anyone who needs a job, just because the person is a person with disability. It is an offence for which you are supposed to be paying a fine.”
To illustrate the real-life impact of poor implementation, she recounted a recent case involving a visually impaired student who applied to a nursing school in Enugu State.
“She told them that she needed reasonable accommodation for her to be able to write that examination. Unfortunately, the school disregarded everything she told them about.”
According to her, the student arrived for the exam only to find that no support had been arranged.
“The font size of the questions were not something she could comprehend. She asked for someone to help her read the questions, and they did not provide anybody instead, they told her, ‘do the one you can do’.”
The student later spoke out, prompting action from the Nigerian Bar Association Lawyers with Disabilities Forum.
“Of course, she came online, complained, and we took up the matter. We’ve written to the school, they’ve responded, and we intend to take them to court.”
Etumudon said the forum is now shifting from advocacy to legal enforcement.
“We have decided that it is not just for us to advocate anymore… we want to go a step further to make institutions… see the need to implement some of these laws.
“In the next few weeks, I’m sure we’ll see the stories online… that we’ve taken a body to court for refusing to do what is needful.”
She also disclosed that the school had since tried to resolve the matter privately.
“They’ve gone… to meet with her and ask that she comes back to the school… but she told them no, that they should speak with her lawyer.”
Etumudon maintained that only firm action will drive real change, insisting that institutions must be held accountable if Nigeria is to become truly inclusive.
“The Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Act 2018 prohibits discrimination… it’s an offence…”
Patience Etumudon says the Nigerian Bar Association has begun taking steps to enforce disability rights laws following cases of discrimination.#NCTownHallSeries pic.twitter.com/k03Z1Zn1P6
— News Central TV (@NewsCentralTV) March 26, 2026
