By Michael Oche
In commemoration of the World Day for Social Justice, the International Labour Organization (ILO) has called for greater inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in labour policies and economic opportunities.
Speaking at a high-level dialogue held at the United Nations House in Abuja, ILO Country Director, Vanessa Phala, emphasized the need for concrete actions to ensure social justice is accessible to all, regardless of disability.
Phala highlighted that the ILO remains committed to mainstreaming disability inclusion in its programmes, urging government institutions, employers, and workers’ organizations to collaborate in creating equitable employment opportunities.
“So for us, we are really making sure that we are leaving no one behind,” she said. Adding that “Social justice should not be exclusive. It is about creating policies and actions that promote access to opportunities for everybody.”
The event brought together key stakeholders, including representatives from the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), and trade unions such as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
Phala noted that the recent visit of the ILO Director-General to Nigeria reinforced the importance of disability inclusion, particularly in economic policies and labour market reforms.
The dialogue also provided a platform for PWDs to share their experiences and challenges in accessing decent work. Participants emphasized the need for stronger policy implementation, employer sensitization, and improved workplace accessibility to foster a truly inclusive labour market.
In his remarks, director, Productivity Measurement and Labour Standards, at the ministry of labour and employment, Emmanuel Igbinosun the government’s policies and activities are driven towards promoting equity and access to opportunities for PWDs.
He called for collaborative efforts between government and stakeholders to ensure that core needs of PWDs are taken into consideration in policy formation.
Some of PWDs who spoke complained of injustices to them especially regarding access to job opportunities and decent work environment.
Ms Patience Dikson, one of the PWDs and coordinator of the Women in Disabilities Initiative said that there was need for synergy between government, employers of labour to ensure social inclusion of PWDs in their work.
According to her, we will want many people and organisations to start talking about social inclusion of PWDs and also putting it in their work.
“We want to have inclusion policies, we want to have policy implementation of advancing issues for people with disabilities,’she said.
Dikson also advocated for the review of disability law, stressing that the law had to be a bit encompassing, especially with the changing world of work.
She added that we are advocating for disability review of the law because it doesn’t actually reference women with disability. It’s all about persons with disability.
“There are peculiar issues around women with disability, and also children with disability, elders with disability.
