Abdulwahab Matepo became a person with disability following a road accident in 2000 in which he sustained a spinal cord injury. His newfound reality inspired him to begin advocacy for the government to pass the Disability Rights Law, which he believed would alleviate the plight of Persons Living With Disability (PWDs) in Nigeria.
After two decades of relentless advocacy by a growing number of disability rights groups and activists, Mr Matepo’s dream finally came to pass. On 23 January 2019, former President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018.
“I felt elated because the disability community got the legal backing to drive its advocacy and rights’ claim,” Mr Matepo told PREMIUM TIMES.
