The Anambra State Disability Rights Commission (ASDRC) has announced a new set of initiatives aimed at strengthening disability inclusion and expanding support services for persons with disabilities across the southeastern Nigerian state.
Speaking at a press briefing to mark the 2025 International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), themed “Fostering Disability-Inclusive Societies for Advancing Social Progress,” ASDRC Chairman Barrister Chuks Ezewuzie, unveiled plans to establish a dedicated Disability Counselling Centre.
The centre, developed in partnership with the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) Programme, will offer educational, psychological, and social support to children with disabilities and their families.
Ezewuzie said the centre forms part of a broader strategy to enhance welfare, promote inclusion, and provide targeted assistance. Additional initiatives underway include an Access Market Pavilion, a cooperative society, and a credit facility designed to support entrepreneurs with disabilities.
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To strengthen monitoring and service delivery, the commission will appoint liaison officers at local government, community, and ward levels.
Ezewuzie also announced intensified enforcement of accessibility standards in public and private buildings, parking lots, and construction plans, an area where the commission has been pushing for improved compliance since its establishment in 2021.
Reviewing the commission’s progress, Ezewuzie highlighted key milestones such as the domestication of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), and expanded access to inclusive education, and economic empowerment programmes that have reached hundreds of beneficiaries.
He noted that Anambra has led several pioneering initiatives, including employing persons with disabilities into the civil service and appointing individuals with disabilities to senior government positions.
The state is also recognized as the first in West Africa to have a visually impaired Permanent Secretary.
Despite these strides, Ezewuzie acknowledged that many persons with disabilities in Anambra still face discrimination, social stigma, limited access to public infrastructure, and restricted economic opportunities.
He pledged that the commission would intensify policy advocacy, strengthen partnerships with government agencies and development organisations, and expand outreach to ensure that persons with disabilities in all the 326 political wards are identified and supported.
“Anambra knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way,” Ezewuzie said, adding that several other states, including Sokoto, Abia, Imo, Ebonyi, and Enugu, have now adopted similar laws and institutional frameworks following Anambra’s lead.
He reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to advancing a more inclusive society and mobilising the disability community to fully benefit from government programmes and protections.
Earlier, the commission had staged a road walk and awareness rally to commemorate the day.