Federal Government Orders MDAs To Enforce 5% Job Quota For PWDs

The Federal Government has directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to comply strictly with the mandatory 5 per cent employment quota for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) and ensure that all public buildings, transport systems and service channels are accessible to them.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, gave the directive at the 2025 International Day of Persons with Disabilities Forum in Abuja.

Senator Akume, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Communication, Engr. Nadungu Gagare, also declared that Nigeria has entered a new phase of full enforcement of disability rights, insisting that accessibility and inclusion are no longer optional but now legal requirements across all sectors.

Describing 2025 as a “historic year” for disability inclusion, the SGF in a statement by his spokesman, Yomi Odunuga, noted that the five-year moratorium provided under the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, signed in 2018, had elapsed.

He noted that with that phase over, Nigeria has now moved from transition to full implementation of the law.

The SGF also urged the private sector to take a leading role in advancing disability inclusion, describing it as “smart economics” that boosts innovation, expands talent pools, and strengthens corporate growth.

“Ministries, Departments and Agencies must now demonstrate clear compliance with the provisions of the Disability Act, especially the mandatory 5% employment quota. Public buildings, transportation systems and service channels must be accessible to all.

“We can no longer afford environments that silently or openly push people away. Accessibility is no longer optional. It is the law. The era of excuses is over. Accessibility and inclusion are now the minimum standard expected across the nation,” Akume stressed.

He urged the private sector to step forward as partners in progress, noting that companies that embrace diversity and inclusion around the world outperform their peers in innovation, retention, and customer satisfaction.

“Disability inclusion is not charity. It is smart economics. It expands talent pools, strengthens corporate reputation, and drives long-term growth. Nigeria’s private sector has both the influence and the capacity to lead by example,” he added.

The SGF said persons living with disabilities do not need pity, but opportunity. “Disability has never meant inability. It simply reflects a different pathway to contribution, and that pathway must be free of discrimination, exclusion, and systemic barriers”.

Akume reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to build a society where no Nigerian is excluded.

He insisted that disability “has never meant inability,” stressing that what PWDs require is opportunity, not pity.

He outlined three commitments necessary for real progress to include employing qualified PWDs to meet the 5 per cent quota, equipping workplaces with accessible tools and supportive environments, and empowering PWDs through leadership opportunities and support for PWDs-owned businesses.

“Inclusion must be reflected in our budgets, infrastructure, hiring decisions, corporate strategies, and daily interactions,” he said. “Nigeria cannot rise fully while leaving talent behind.”