The Centre for Infrastructural and Technological Advancement for the Blind (CITAB), under the leadership of its Executive Chairman Mr. Jolomi George Fenemigho, heartily commends the Federal Government and the National Assembly on the milestone passage of the National Digital Economy and e-Governance Bill 2025, presently awaiting Presidential assent.
This was contained in a release today by Mr. Fenemigho inLagos.
Fenemigho praised the government’s vision, noting that the bill paves the way for a more efficient, transparent, and prosperous Nigeria in the digital age. Yet, he issued a robust caution: true progress cannot be realized if large swathes of citizens including the blind and visually impaired are rendered invisible in this new digital future. “A GovTech revolution that does not prioritize accessibility runs the risk of becoming a new frontier for mass exclusion, a ‘Digital Apartheid’,” he warned.
Decades of research and direct advocacy from CITAB and partners, Fenemigho pointed out, have highlighted the persistent inaccessibility of government digital platforms. He stressed that websites, applications, and e-services, while advancing service delivery, often neglect the needs of Nigerians who rely on screen readers and similar assistive technologies. Studies show that most government digital platforms remain far from compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1.
Fenemigho declared, “A digital Nigeria should be a Nigeria for everyone. The transition from paper files to digital forms must not be allowed to create new, more potent barriers for marginalized citizens. If digital platforms are not perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust, then exclusion remains, only under a shinier guise.”
Despite impressive legal frameworks such as the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018, Mr. Fenemigho emphasized that visually impaired Nigerians still confront obstacles that deprive them of full participation in public life, a reality that a modern digital ecosystem must never replicate.
He therefore called for the following urgent practical steps to be enshrined into the Bill’s implementation and subsequent regulations:
Immediate explicit mandate for all digital government services, websites, and applications to meet at least WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance before launch
Establishment of a robust system of independent accessibility audits to be managed in collaboration with CITAB and other recognized disability advocates, ensuring e-governance platforms are genuinely inclusive
Integration of the planned national fibre optic infrastructure with affordable provision of assistive technologies and comprehensive digital literacy training for visually impaired Nigerians, particularly those in underserved rural communities. Mere internet access is meaningless if it cannot be equally used by all
According to Fenemigho, “Digital transformation calls for more than good intentions or elegant codes. It demands real investment in accessible tools, inclusive design, and the ongoing expertise of those who have lived the experience of exclusion. Inclusion is not an afterthought or an add on, it is a foundational imperative that gives meaning to every byte of progress we claim to make.”
CITAB therefore reiterates its readiness to work with the Ministry of Communications, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and the National Assembly. CITAB stands prepared to provide technical expertise, training, and oversight to ensure Nigeria’s digital revolution becomes a continental standard for inclusive governance and digital justice.
CITAB urges all stakeholders to consider that a single oversight today may pave the way for decades of digital inequality. Let us, instead, use this historic bill to write a new national chapter, one where every Nigerian, regardless of ability, can access, participate in, and benefit from the promises of digital transformation.
Let genuine inclusion, not unwitting exclusion, define Nigeria’s new digital age.
CITAB Commends Digital Economy Bill, Issues Stern Warning Against ‘Digital Apartheid’
