“This Neglect Must End!!!” Hon. Wasiu Nurudeen Calls on Oyo Disability Agency, Ministry of Women Affairs to Tackle Decay in Disability Facilities in Oyo State
Ibadan, Oyo State — April 9, 2025
Honorable Wasiu Nurudeen, widely known as Obaaro, has raised serious concerns over the deteriorating condition of facilities meant for persons with disabilities across Oyo State. Nurudeen, who serves as the Coordinator for persons with Disabilities in Ibadan North Local Government and also as the Special Adviser on Disability Matters to the Executive Chairman of Ibadan North, expressed deep dissatisfaction with what he described as an unacceptable neglect of essential institutions catering to the disabled community.
In a statement made during a public address, He emphasized that despite the huge love and care that His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde displayed to people living with disability, Hon. Nurudeen lamented the poor state of several key facilities which he believes should provide a safe, healthy, and conducive environment for the physically challenged. Urging those concerned to fulfill the mandate of their offices.
The executive governor of the state, Engr Seyi Makinde loves us so much. He has recently employed a very large number of persons with disabilities and also gave us appointments at state, local government and ward levels, he added.
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He particularly highlighted the appalling conditions of the Rehabilitation Centre for Disabilities at Moniya, the School for the Handicapped at Ijokodo, the Orphanage Home at The Polytechnic Ibadan, and the School for the Deaf along Polytechnic Road, among others.
“These facilities have become shadows of what they used to be. They are no longer in a state to accommodate, let alone support, disabled individuals in any meaningful way. It’s disheartening,” Nurudeen said.
He further stressed that as one of them, and someone who works closely with the disabled community, he feels a deep sense of responsibility to voice out these concerns on behalf of those whose voices often go unheard. He called on the Director-General of the Oyo State Agency for Persons with Disabilities, Barrister Ayodele Adekanmbi, to rise to the occasion and fulfill the mandate of his office by urgently addressing the shortcomings in these facilities.
“We cannot continue to pay lip service to the welfare of persons with disabilities. The Director-General must sit up and do the job he was appointed to do — protect and provide for these citizens who are just as deserving of a decent standard of living as anyone else,” he said.
In addition to this, Hon. Nurudeen appealed to the Ministry of Women Affairs, led by Hon. Mrs. Toyin Balogun, to intervene in the matter. He urged the ministry to work with the relevant agencies to restore dignity to the lives of persons with disabilities in Oyo State.
“Our disabled brothers and sisters are not to be forgotten or abandoned. They are an important part of our society and deserve better. Let us come together to ensure they have a befitting, safe, and conducive environment to live and thrive,” he concluded.
The heartfelt plea from Honorable Nurudeen Obaaro has sparked conversations across various civil society groups and disability rights advocates, many of whom are now calling for immediate government intervention and accountability in improving the quality of life for persons with disabilities in the state
As of the time of this report, the concerned agencies are yet to issue an official response.
