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Inclusivity/Gender
Edo disability community tasks Okpebholo on funding for new commission
Written By: Emmanuel Ikhenebome
03 Dec 2025 12:27 PM
Benin, Edo – Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Edo State on Wednesday staged a sensitization road rally in Benin City to commemorate the 2025 International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), themed “Fostering Disability-Inclusive Societies for Advancing Social Progress.”
The event also served as a platform to raise public awareness about the newly established Edo State Commission for Persons with Disabilities and to press the state government for adequate funding to make the commission functional.
Speaking during the rally, Melody Omosah Esq., Chairman of the Joint Planning Committee for the 2025 IDPD celebration, described the creation of the commission as a historic milestone after years of advocacy.
“For the first time in a very long time, we now have a Commission for Persons with Disabilities in Edo State. We are here to enlighten the public that this commission exists to protect and promote the rights of people living with disabilities,” Omosah told journalists
Omosah urged the governor Monday Okpebholo-led administration to ensure the commission is properly funded and empowered to deliver on its mandate.
“One thing is to establish a commission; another is to make it work through deliberate funding and actionable steps,” Omosah stressed.
He further emphasized the dignity and potential of persons with disabilities, stating: “Disability itself is not the real challenge; the real challenge is passivity. When people with disabilities look beyond their disabilities and harness their innate abilities, they can contribute immensely to society.”
Comrade Ann Ojugo, Chairperson of the Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities (JONAPWD) in Edo State, aligned her remarks with this year’s global theme, calling for genuine inclusion of PWDs in all sectors.
“In line with ‘leaving no one behind,’ it is crucial that persons with disabilities are not excluded from office spaces, employment opportunities, or any sphere of development,” Ojugo said
Theophilus Egbodion, Chairman of the Governing Council of the Edo State Commission for Persons with Disabilities, commended Governor Okpebholo for establishing the commission, describing it as evidence of the governor’s commitment to vulnerable groups.
“For Governor Monday Okpebholo to set up this commission shows that he has the interest of vulnerable persons at heart. Through this commission, persons with disabilities in Edo State will no longer be left behind,” Egbodion said.
The rally which drew participants from various clusters of Edo's disability community kicked off from the Oba Ovoramwen square and culminated at the Government House.
The 2025 International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed globally on December 3 to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development.
The event also served as a platform to raise public awareness about the newly established Edo State Commission for Persons with Disabilities and to press the state government for adequate funding to make the commission functional.
Speaking during the rally, Melody Omosah Esq., Chairman of the Joint Planning Committee for the 2025 IDPD celebration, described the creation of the commission as a historic milestone after years of advocacy.
“For the first time in a very long time, we now have a Commission for Persons with Disabilities in Edo State. We are here to enlighten the public that this commission exists to protect and promote the rights of people living with disabilities,” Omosah told journalists
Omosah urged the governor Monday Okpebholo-led administration to ensure the commission is properly funded and empowered to deliver on its mandate.
“One thing is to establish a commission; another is to make it work through deliberate funding and actionable steps,” Omosah stressed.
He further emphasized the dignity and potential of persons with disabilities, stating: “Disability itself is not the real challenge; the real challenge is passivity. When people with disabilities look beyond their disabilities and harness their innate abilities, they can contribute immensely to society.”
Comrade Ann Ojugo, Chairperson of the Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities (JONAPWD) in Edo State, aligned her remarks with this year’s global theme, calling for genuine inclusion of PWDs in all sectors.
“In line with ‘leaving no one behind,’ it is crucial that persons with disabilities are not excluded from office spaces, employment opportunities, or any sphere of development,” Ojugo said
Theophilus Egbodion, Chairman of the Governing Council of the Edo State Commission for Persons with Disabilities, commended Governor Okpebholo for establishing the commission, describing it as evidence of the governor’s commitment to vulnerable groups.
“For Governor Monday Okpebholo to set up this commission shows that he has the interest of vulnerable persons at heart. Through this commission, persons with disabilities in Edo State will no longer be left behind,” Egbodion said.
The rally which drew participants from various clusters of Edo's disability community kicked off from the Oba Ovoramwen square and culminated at the Government House.
The 2025 International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed globally on December 3 to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development.
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