The Nigeria House of Commons TV show has called for greater support for the inclusion of youths and physically challenged persons in governance.

Glory Ukwenga, Executive Director, Nigeria House of Commons, said this during a Virtual Media Chat organised by Africana League, creators of the political reality TV show, Nigeria house of Commons on Thursday. The theme of the event was “Substantiating the Discrimination Against Persons with Disability Act 2018.

Ukwenga said the show was designed to encourage Nigerian youths to participate in national development by debating policy issues and learning leadership skills.

The programme creates a stage where young leaders from across the federation debate motions and challenge themselves, while also inspiring other youths, she said. She said the platform highlighted the need for a political culture built on ideas and accountability rather than patronage.

According to her, the initiative responds to the low number of young people in the legislature, with only 14 out of 360 members of the House of Representatives falling within the youth category. Representation should also extend to young women and physically challenged persons, diversity should not only be acknowledged but normalised in governance, she said.

Ukwenga said the show helped young Nigerians to see themselves as capable of leadership and to understand legislative procedures. Many young people view governance as a space for older politicians, but history shows that many of today’s leaders entered politics when they were young,  Ukwenga said.

She explained that the programme uses simulated political parties to encourage debates based on ideology and vision, rather than material interests. She also said that fact-checking mechanisms were built into the show to reinforce accountability and accuracy during debates.

Similarly, Mary Victor-Magaji, representing Kebbi State at Nigeria House of Commons, said the Disability Act had not achieved its objectives due to poor compliance. Inadequate enforcement has weakened the impact of the law. Penalties for defaulters are needed to make it effective,” she said.

Victor-Magaji explained that although the Act gave a five-year window for institutions to adjust, many public buildings and offices had yet to meet accessibility standards. She said the provision requiring five percent of jobs in public institutions to be reserved for physically challenged persons was also not being met.

Even when such positions are available, many of the beneficiaries are not genuinely engaged. This is not because of incompetence, but because of weak institutional frameworks, she noted. Victor-Magaji said it was discouraging to have a law in place that could not be enforced, adding that this rendered it ineffective.

Disability should not be treated as a charity issue, It must be recognised as a matter of human rights and equal opportunity,” Victor-Magaji explained. She pointed out that Nigeria lacked reliable data on the number of physically challenged persons, with estimates ranging from 27 million to 31 million.

Victor-Magaji said the absence of accurate data had also undermined planning and policymaking. She added that excluding physically challenged persons from the economy had wider implications, citing international reports showing huge global economic losses from lack of inclusion.

Effective implementation of the Act will not only improve the lives of physically challenged Nigerians but also strengthen the nation’s global competitiveness, she said.