The Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) has called for accessible early-warning systems and the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in climate planning, warning that conventional disaster response mechanisms often overlook the needs of people with disabilities.
The association made the call on October 27, 2026, during the launch of a one-year disability-inclusive urban resilience project organised in collaboration with the Global Disability Fund in Lagos.
The initiative seeks to promote community-led climate innovation and develop accessible solutions to flooding, extreme heat and other environmental risks affecting persons with disabilities and other vulnerable populations.
Lagos State will serve as the pilot location, with plans to replicate successful interventions across Nigeria. The project is expected to improve the safety, mobility, accessibility, participation and digital inclusion of persons with disabilities in urban governance and climate adaptation by 2027 and beyond.
Speaking at the launch, Adetunde Ademefun, Head of the JONAPWD National Secretariat, said persons with disabilities were frequently excluded from urban planning and disaster management despite facing heightened risks during climate-related emergencies.
He questioned the reliance on radio and television announcements as primary channels for communicating flood warnings, noting that such approaches could exclude people with hearing impairments and others who cannot access information through conventional formats.
Ademefun stressed the importance of delivering emergency information through multiple accessible channels to ensure that persons with different disabilities receive timely warnings and can take appropriate action.
He explained that the project would engage government agencies, civil society organisations and disability groups to identify gaps in existing climate and disaster management plans, strengthen institutional responsibilities and establish effective implementation and monitoring mechanisms.
It would also assess the extent to which Lagos State’s resilience strategy addresses disability-related concerns.
The initiative comes amid growing concerns about the limited integration of disability considerations into Nigeria’s climate governance framework.
In an earlier report published on August 22, 2026, titled Making the Case for Disability-Inclusive Climate Action in Nigeria, PWDSpotlight highlighted the gaps between Nigeria’s existing climate commitments and their practical implementation for persons with disabilities.
The report noted that although the Climate Change Act 2021 provides for the representation of persons with disabilities on the National Council on Climate Change, disability inclusion has not been adequately translated into specific strategies across major climate frameworks.
It also identified gaps in disability-disaggregated data, accessible early-warning systems and emergency response arrangements, emphasising that climate resilience must extend beyond policy commitments to practical interventions that people with different disabilities can access and benefit from.
The JONAPWD project therefore presents an opportunity to move some of these concerns towards community-level implementation, particularly through accessible emergency communication, institutional collaboration and the direct involvement of disability organisations in climate planning.
Disability groups highlight specific climate risks
Representatives of disability organisations at the launch called for targeted interventions that recognise the different ways extreme weather conditions affect disability communities.
Solomon Okelola, President of the Deafblind Association of Nigeria, said persons with combined hearing and visual impairments were frequently excluded from disaster preparedness and emergency response arrangements.
He explained that inadequate communication support and a shortage of interpreters with specialised skills could prevent deafblind persons from receiving emergency information or evacuating safely during disasters.
Okelola called for deliberate measures to ensure that emergency communication systems and evacuation arrangements accommodate the specific needs of deafblind people.
Similarly, Josephine Omolola, National President of the Albinism Association of Nigeria, raised concerns about the effects of extreme heat and harmful ultraviolet radiation on persons with albinism.
She explained that prolonged exposure to direct sunlight could cause severe skin damage and increase the risk of skin cancer, making access to healthcare and protective interventions particularly important as temperatures rise.
Omolola commended the Lagos State Government for supporting persons with albinism through its healthcare system, including assistance with the treatment of skin conditions and skin cancer surgeries at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital.
She, however, urged the project organisers to engage directly with disability organisations to ensure that proposed interventions reflect the different needs and experiences of disability communities.
Lagos Government highlights disability data efforts
Meanwhile, Biaponu Olorunda, representing the General Manager of the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA), Adenike Oyetunde-Lawal, disclosed that the agency was conducting an ongoing registration exercise for persons with disabilities from Monday to Friday.
She added that plans were underway to expand the registration exercise across Lagos State in 2027.
Olorunda also explained that LASODA had continued engaging relevant health ministries and institutions to promote the inclusion of disability information in health data collection, including records relating to HIV and cancer.
The availability of reliable disability data is particularly important for identifying people at greater risk during climate emergencies, understanding their specific needs and ensuring that emergency interventions reach the communities they are intended to protect.
Also speaking at the event, Babatunde Williams, National President of the Association for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities of Nigeria, pledged support for stronger collaboration among disability organisations and other stakeholders.
From commitments to implementation
The project is expected to establish a steering committee and technical working group comprising government institutions, disability organisations and civil society groups to coordinate implementation and monitor progress.
Its success will depend largely on whether the proposed interventions translate into accessible warning systems, inclusive evacuation arrangements, improved disability data and meaningful participation in urban governance.
For Lagos, where flooding and extreme heat present recurring environmental challenges, the pilot offers an opportunity to examine whether existing resilience measures adequately accommodate residents with different disabilities.
It also raises a broader question for Nigeria’s climate governance: how can communities be considered resilient when some residents cannot access emergency warnings, navigate evacuation routes, or participate in decisions affecting their safety?
As highlighted in PWDSpotlight’s earlier report on disability-inclusive climate action, the challenge is not simply the absence of policy commitments but the difficulty of translating those commitments into measurable outcomes.
