Abuja, FCT – The House of Representatives has declared an all-out push to enforce the mandatory 5% employment quota for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in all federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), warning that continued non-compliance will no longer be tolerated.

Deputy Speaker Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu gave the firm commitment recently while delivering a keynote address at the Policy Forum on Advancing Workplace Inclusion for Persons with Disabilities, organised by the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation in commemoration of the 2025 International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Describing the systematic exclusion of PWDs from the workforce as “not just a human rights violation but economic sabotage,” Kalu argued that Nigeria cannot achieve sustainable growth while leaving millions of skilled and talented citizens on the sidelines.

“We are deliberately shifting from mere advocacy to aggressive legislative oversight,” the Deputy Speaker declared.

According to him, “The House Committee on Disability Matters has been fully empowered to demand recruitment records, conduct compliance audits and summon any MDA that fails to meet the 5% threshold stipulated in the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018.”

He revealed that the Green Chamber will soon commence special hearings to review the employment data of all federal institutions, with sanctions recommended against erring agencies.

Kalu, who also chairs the House Committee on Constitution Review, stressed that inclusive employment is both a moral and economic imperative, noting that countries with strong disability inclusion policies consistently record higher productivity and innovation.

The event brought together disability rights advocates, civil society organisations, government officials and representatives of PWD communities.

Speakers unanimously hailed the Deputy Speaker’s pronouncement as the strongest political commitment yet toward actualising the seven-year-old Disability Act.

Although the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act was signed into law in January 2019, successive reports by disability rights groups have shown that most federal and state agencies are still far below the mandatory 5% employment quota, with some recording as low as 0.2%.

Disability advocates have long demanded stricter enforcement mechanisms, including penalties for non-compliant institutions.

Last Wednesday’s pronouncement by the Deputy Speaker Kalu is therefore seen as a major turning point in the struggle for workplace inclusion in Nigeria.

The House Committee on Disability Matters, chaired by Hon. Bashiru Usman Dawodu, is expected to roll out its oversight timetable before the end of the current legislative session.