Stakeholders have called for disability-sensitive early warning systems in climate action to address peculiar needs of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
The stakeholders made the call in Abuja on Saturday, during a forum convened by the Inclusive Friends Association (IFA), an NGO prompting full inclusion of PWDs in governance and social life.
The Newsmen report that the forum on Disability-Inclusive Climate Action Project, was supported by Rise Up Together, an NGO advancing gender justice and equity globally.
The stakeholders also advocated a systematic collection of disability-disaggregated data to strengthen climate-related interventions and policy making.
According to them, the calls followed the growing concerns over the disproportionate impact of climate change on PWDs, who often face heightened risks during extreme weather events, disasters, and environmental crises.
Executive Director of IFA, Ms Grace Jerry, pointed out that millions of PWDs remained largely absent from the country’s climate policies, emergency preparedness frameworks and disaster response mechanisms.
Jerry said that failure to mainstream disability concerns into climate governance has continued to expose vulnerable populations, especially women and girls with disabilities to disproportionate risks.
According to her, while climate change affects all Nigerians, its consequences are often more severe for PWDs, who face additional barriers in accessing information, relief services and emergency support.
“Climate change is no longer a future threat but a daily reality that is already disrupting lives and livelihoods across the country.
“People with disabilities are among those bearing the heaviest burden despite receiving little attention in climate planning processes.
“Flooding, displacement, prolonged heatwaves and environmental degradation have far-reaching implications for PWDs, yet they are rarely represented in the discussions on climate adaptation and resilience-building,” she said.
The executive director added that although climate change has always affected PWDs, growing awareness and advocacy have helped in bringing their experiences into national conversations.
She particularly said that during disasters, wheelchair users were usually stranded by floodwaters; visually impaired persons lose mobility aids during emergencies while individuals with albinism face heightened exposure to extreme heat conditions.
“As such, grouping PWDs under the broad category of ‘vulnerable populations’ has often made their specific needs invisible, resulting in interventions that failed to reach them.
“To address this gap, inclusive early warning systems were essential to ensure that critical information reached all members of society,” she said.
Similarly, the Programme Manager, IFA and Rise Up Leader, Mr Stephen Idoko, explained that the Disability-Inclusive Climate Action Project was designed to confront the unequal impacts of climate emergencies on PWDs.
Idoko explained that although national climate policies acknowledged vulnerable groups and gender concerns, they however provided limited direction on how disability inclusion should be implemented in practice.
He said that the project was, therefore, designed to identify policy shortcomings, strengthen inclusive climate governance and contribute to the development of a national guideline.
This, he said, would ensure disability considerations were embedded in climate action strategies.
On his part, the Climate Justice Advisor at ActionAid International, Mr Friday Ogezi, noted Nigeria has a number of climate-related policy frameworks, adding however, that implementation had remained weak, particularly inclusion and financing.
Ogezi argued that existing policies often recognised vulnerability but failed to adequately explain how climate change affects different categories of PWDs or provide clear pathways for addressing those unique challenges.
He called for a shift from symbolic consultation to meaningful participation, insisting that PWDs should be actively involved in designing, implementing and monitoring climate policies and programmes.
Ms Kauna Gabriel, a representative of Deaf Women Aloud Initiative (DWAI), claimed that many hearing-impaired persons in flood-hit communities of Niger were unaware of early warning systems and other government support programmes.
Gabriel attributed the development to non-usage of sign language and other communication channels to pass critical information, particularly early warning during emergencies to affected persons.
“As a result, several affected individuals reportedly lost their homes and belongings without receiving timely assistance,” she said.
She stressed that effective communication remained essential for inclusion, urging authorities to deploy sign language interpreters and accessible information systems during emergencies and humanitarian interventions.