by Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
As Nigeria faces increasingly severe annual floods, extreme weather patterns, and rising temperatures linked to climate change, persons living with disabilities have been identified as among the “most vulnerable” when disasters occur.
Disability advocates and climate experts warned that these challenges are pushing already marginalized groups further to the brink, especially due to limited inclusive emergency planning across the country.
These concerns were the focus of an advocacy visit by the Kaduna State Climate Change Accountability Mechanism (KadCCAM) to the Kaduna State Disability Affairs Board in Kaduna.
Speaking during the visit, the Co-Chair of KadCCAM, Mr. Ibrahima Yakubu, said the engagement was aimed at strengthening collaboration with the Board on issues relating to environmental degradation, desertification, flooding, and other climate change impacts largely driven by unsustainable human activities.
According to Yakubu, the effects of climate change are cross-cutting and affect every aspect of human life. He stressed the need for inclusive engagement, particularly involving persons with disabilities, in efforts to make Kaduna greener and more environmentally-resilient.
“This visit is to deepen our rapport with you, enlighten young persons with disabilities in schools, and create platforms where we can collaborate with the horticulture sector to train them on how to plant and nurture trees to protect the environment,” he said.
He added that surveys indicated persons with disabilities are among the worst affected during climate-related disasters, Yakubu noted, adding that, “Access to roads becomes a major challenge for them, especially during the rainy season.”
He emphasized that all hands must be on deck to support government and civil society organizations in mitigating climate change and other forms of environmental degradation affecting both humans and ecosystems.
Yakubu further called on all stakeholders to take advantage of the rainy season to plant more trees as a strategy to combat desertification, deforestation, and erosion.
Responding, the Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Disability Affairs Board, Hajia Rakiya A. Umar, described the visit as timely. She affirmed the Board’s readiness to partner with KadCCAM, noting the severe impact of climate-related disasters, particularly flooding and fire incidents on persons with disabilities.
Also speaking, the National Chairman of the Joint Association of Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria, Mr. Rilwanu Abdullahi, urged federal and state government authorities to translate national disability rights laws into climate-responsive policies that guarantee accessible infrastructure and protection during emergencies.
He explained that the partnership would strengthen their collective voice, particularly in advocating for the implementation of disability laws and the creation of safe and accessible spaces.
Abdullahi noted that climate change affects persons with disabilities differently, depending on their conditions, including hearing and visual impairments, mobility challenges, and albinism.
Other disability rights advocates, including Mr. Silas Luka and Mrs. Hajara Silas of the Kaduna State Disability Affairs Board, stressed that inclusive planning would not only save lives but also enhance Nigeria’s overall resilience to climate change.
They called for disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction strategies such as accessible evacuation routes, disability-friendly shelters, trained emergency responders, tree-planting initiatives, and regular environmental sanitation.
Delivering a keynote address, the Desk Officer on Climate Change at the Ministry of Environment, Mr. Bello Abednego, explained that the Climate Change Accountability Mechanism was established to bring all stakeholders, including persons with disabilities, together to drive meaningful solutions to the global climate crisis.
He added that the State Government has implemented measures such as de-silting drainage channels and dredging River Kaduna, among other local interventions, in order to address environmental challenges.