THE Centre for Infrastructural and Technological Advancement for the Blind (CITAB) has criticised the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA) over its proposed introduction of specialised vehicle number plate for persons with disabilities.
It described the initiative as an elitist and misplaced policy that fails to address the pressing challenges facing the wider disability community.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Wednesday, CITAB’s Executive Chairman, Jolomi George Fenemigho, said the proposed scheme prioritises symbolism over substantive reforms, arguing that it benefits only a small fraction of persons with disabilities who own private vehicles while neglecting millions who struggle daily with unemployment, inaccessible public transport, poor healthcare, and inadequate social protection.
“At a time when countless disabled individuals remain unemployed, without access to free comprehensive healthcare, discounted housing programmes, or accessible public transportation, LASODA considers a specialised number plate a priority,” he said.
According to him, LASODA’s focus on specialised number plates reflects a troubling disconnect from the realities confronting most persons with disabilities in Lagos.
“For an agency dedicated to disability rights, such a choice is a glaring dereliction of duty. It leaves one to question whose interests LASODA is truly serving and who is advising the agency on these matters.”
The disability rights organisation argued that vehicle-centred interventions inherently exclude the overwhelming majority of persons with disabilities, many of whom depend on public transportation for mobility.
“LASODA seems to forget that a specialised number plate is of no consequence to a person with a disability who cannot even afford three square meals, let alone a private car,” he stated.
Fenemigho said specialised number plates would have little relevance for people struggling to meet their basic needs.
“When an agency that should champion inclusion instead designs benefits for a tiny, financially buoyant minority, it effectively sidelines the millions of persons with disabilities who depend on danfos, BRT buses, tricycles, and walking long distances just to survive. Policies must serve the entire disability community, not just a privileged few,” he added.
Fenemigho also questioned the effectiveness of specialised identification schemes without broader structural reforms, noting that previous initiatives such as disability badges had yielded limited impact because of weak public awareness, poor enforcement, and inaccessible infrastructure.
“This is not the first time we’ve seen similar initiatives, like special badges, fail to make any meaningful difference because society remains largely uninformed and key sectors are completely unaligned,”
Rather than introducing what it described as tokenistic measures, he urged LASODA and the Lagos State Government to focus on structural reforms that directly improve the lives of persons with disabilities.
He called for increased employment opportunities for persons with disabilities across state and local government institutions, mandatory disability awareness training for transport unions, enforceable accessibility standards for public transport, and inclusive public infrastructure.
“If LASODA truly wants to make a difference, the agency should focus its resources on systemic change. This includes employing disabled persons under both the state and local government civil service commissions, instituting mandatory disability awareness and empathy training for transport unions such as the NURTW, creating enforceable accessibility mandates for public transit, and ensuring that public infrastructure is designed to accommodate everyone.”
He also demanded greater transparency in the management of disability-related funds, a clear implementation roadmap for making public infrastructure accessible, and a formal role for Organisations of Persons with Disabilities in designing, monitoring, and evaluating disability policies in the state.
Fenemigho maintained that disability rights should be treated as fundamental human rights rather than privileges available only to economically advantaged individuals.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.