For Immediate Release

Date: 3rd December, 2025.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities is a global reminder of our collective responsibility to advance dignity, equality, and full participation for all people. Alliances for Africa joins the global community to commemorate this day with a renewed call for the full implementation and enforcement of the Imo State Disability Law under the theme “Fostering Disability Inclusion: Implement and Enforce Imo State Disability Law.” This day offers an essential opportunity to reaffirm that disability inclusion is not an act of charity or sympathy but a fundamental human right embedded in justice, sustainable development, and social equity.

According to the World Health Organization, more than one billion people, about 16 percent of the global population, live with some form of disability. In Nigeria, estimates suggest over 30 million persons with disabilities face persistent barriers in education, employment, healthcare, transportation, and participation in public life. These challenges are intensified by discriminatory attitudes, inaccessible infrastructure, and systems that fail to recognize their full dignity and potential. The Imo State Disability Law was enacted to address these inequalities, promising legal protections, equal opportunities, and the removal of structural and social obstacles that prevent persons with disabilities from thriving. However, without meaningful enforcement, the law remains only an aspiration rather than a transformative instrument of justice.

Alliances for Africa stresses that disability inclusion is essential for building peaceful, prosperous, and resilient communities, institutions, and economies. Research consistently shows that societies that prioritize inclusion benefit from accessible environments and education, improved health outcomes, enhanced productivity, and more stable and equitable social systems. When persons with disabilities are empowered to participate fully, communities become stronger, resilient, cohesive, and innovative; institutions become fairer; and development becomes more sustainable. Yet, these gains can only be realized if governments, institutions, and communities take concrete steps to translate the Imo State Disability Law into everyday practice, implementing it effectively, monitoring it rigorously, and supporting it across all stakeholder levels.

As today marks the 2025 International Day of Persons with Disabilities, it calls for leadership and bold steps from the Imo State government and all relevant institutions to ensure accessible public buildings, inclusive education systems, non-discriminatory employment practices, disability-responsive healthcare services, and social protection measures are being made available for these persons to facilitate their full integration into the wider society. It is equally important to engage organizations of persons with disabilities in every stage of decision-making, planning, implementation, monitoring, and oversight. Their lived experiences remain the most powerful guide for designing solutions that genuinely address their needs and promote inclusion.

Alliances for Africa urges government agencies, civil society organizations, traditional and community leaders, the private sector, and citizens to transform the principles of disability rights into meaningful action. The full enforcement of the Imo State Disability Law is not only a legal document but a moral responsibility and social obligation. It sends a clear message that every life holds equal worth, and that no person should be left behind in the pursuit of development and justice.

As the world marks this 2025 International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Alliances for Africa calls on all stakeholders to rise to the challenge. Let us build a future where inclusion is the standard, accessibility is universal, and persons with disabilities in Imo State can live free from discrimination and are supported by systems that respect their rights and enhance their opportunities. A more egalitarian, inclusive, and humane society begins with the choices we make today.

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#EnforceImoDisabilityLaw
#DisabilityRightsAreHumanRights
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