By Ramatu Garba

The Albinism Association of Nigeria (AAN) and key disability stakeholders have urged both the media and government to move beyond rhetoric and ensure timely implementation of Nigeria’s commitments at the Global Disability Summit (GDS) 2025.

The stakeholders made the call in a communique issued at the end of a one-day media roundtable organised by AAN with support from the Disability Rights Fund (DRF), held at Grand Central Hotel, Bompai, Kano.

The roundtable is themed: “Amplifying Nigeria’s GDS 2025 Commitments: The Role of Media in Promoting Inclusion for Persons with Albinism and Other Marginalised Groups”.

The event brought together participants from federal and state ministries, media organisations, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs).

The communique was signed by Dr Bisi Bamishe, Executive Director of AAN, and Hajiya Mariya Ishiaka, AAN Vice President, on behalf of all participants.

The stakeholders stressed the urgent need for structured implementation of Nigeria’s disability-related pledges, particularly the enforcement of the Disability Act, inclusive education, and equitable healthcare services.

“Participants noted with concern that in spite of Nigeria’s GDS 2025 commitments, there is need to set up mechanisms for tracking the progress of implementation commitment.

“They stressed that the media must serve not only as an amplifier of voices but also as a watchdog to hold government and institutions accountable.

“The media has a critical responsibility to spotlight the gaps in disability inclusion policies and to ensure transparency in the delivery of national and international disability obligations,” the communique stated.

It identified challenges to include low media prioritisation of disability issues, limited knowledge among journalists about albinism-specific concerns, poor representation of persons with disabilities in media employment, and inadequate government-media collaboration.

To address the gaps, it said, the roundtable called for the establishment of dedicated disability desks in newsrooms, regular training for journalists on disability rights, and enhanced use of local languages and community media platforms to reach remote areas.

“Stakeholders also urged the government to integrate albinism-related health interventions such as treatment for skin cancer and access to sun protection into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS),” it pleaded.

While calling for increased budgetary commitment to disability-related services, the communique said the participants proposed the formation of a media–OPD joint taskforce.

This, according to the communique, is to monitor and report on the progress of GDS 2025 pledges, with quarterly media engagements and policy briefs.

“The roundtable concluded with a unified call for ‘collective action, continuous media engagement, and political will’ to translate policy promises into measurable outcomes for persons with albinism and the wider disability community,” it noted. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)