A Clarion Call for Nigerians with Disabilities
To Support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Administration by Not Joining the Proposed August 1-10, 2024, #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria
July 31, 2024: Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria
By Job Napoleon Agbor, ACFE, CPA, ACCA in view, B.Sc., M.Sc., MBA, Ph.D. in view: Forensic Accounting and Investigation (Leeds Beckett University, UK) (aka Hurricane), a Critical Stakeholder/Members of APC (Etomi ward in Etung LGA of Cross River State, Nigeria)
Indeed, the Tinubu-Shettima APC government inherited a deeply troubled and damaged nation. This reality has been acknowledged publicly by the President, Vice President, National Security Adviser, First Lady, and many other Nigerians who prioritize truth over political bias. It is evident that the current precarious, toxic, traumatic, debilitating, and deadly situation did not arise overnight but has been brewing over successive administrations, both military and civilian, who knowingly failed to address these issues due to ethnic bigotry, religious sentiment, poor governance, and corruption.
President Tinubu is not indifferent to our challenges, as no responsible leader would intentionally cause harm to their citizens. Having governed Lagos State for eight years, leaving behind a legacy of remarkable achievements, and with the Vice President being a seasoned banker and financial expert, they have carefully assessed Nigeria’s economic situation. As good administrators, they have foreseen a better future through the crisis they inherited and have made difficult decisions that, though painful in the short term, are essential for our recovery.
I believe that the sacrifices they are asking all Nigerians to make are necessary. If we fail to support them now, we risk remaining in a cycle of suffering and economic hardship. It is better to endure the pain now than to prolong our troubles.
Upon assuming office on May 29, 2023, the Tinubu-Shettima administration quickly assembled a team of talented Nigerians who critically analyzed the inherited challenges. They took firm stands against corruption, removed the fuel subsidy that previous governments had only tinkered with, recalibrated the nation’s major macroeconomic indices, embarked on massive infrastructure development across the country, and allocated significant resources to enhance security. They also diversified the economy to create employment opportunities and improve human capital development. Furthermore, they initiated major reforms in the agricultural sector to address food shortages and the rising prices of goods and services. Their reforms are in almost every sector of the economy.
This administration and its Renewed Hope Agenda has also extended its economic policies to support persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. They amended the National Social Investment Register, which had been criticized as fraudulent, to ensure that it genuinely serves the poor, including people with disabilities and those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
On October 23, 2023, the Nigerian government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, ratified the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (African Disability Rights Protocol). This complements the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) by addressing the rights of persons with disabilities from an African perspective, taking into account their lived realities.
On March 18, 2024, President Tinubu also established the National Commission for the Almajiris and Out-of-School Children’s Education. This commission, chaired by Brigadier General Lawal Ja’afar Isa (Rtd.) and with Dr. Idris Mohammad Sani as the Executive Secretary/CEO, represents another significant achievement of the Tinubu-Shettima administration in addressing disability issues in Nigeria.
It is important to note that the establishment of this commission followed a pivotal letter to President Tinubu and a subsequent publication by the Pioneers of Nigeria’s National and International Disability Civil Rights Movement and Policy Changers on February 26, 2024, titled “Unveiling the Nexus: Urgent Need to Start Recognizing Disability, Persons with Disabilities & Mismanagement of NCPD/JONAPWD-National as Major Causes of Nigeria’s Insecurity.” This letter reminded the President of his commitment to address the Almajiri issue, which he had made during a town hall meeting with Muslim leaders from the Northwest region on January 3, 2023. The swift establishment of the commission on March 18, 2024, underscores the Tinubu-Shettima administration’s responsiveness and dedication to fulfilling its promises.
These achievements, among many others, demonstrate the administration’s commitment to economic recovery and reform. Given these formidable milestones, I, Job Napoleon Agbor, the Convener of the Pioneers of Nigeria’s National and International Disability Civil Rights Movement, and the Voice of the Voiceless of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Nigeria, appeal to all Nigerians, particularly PWDs, to give peace a chance and refrain from protest. While protests are a constitutional right and a means of expressing anger, we must exercise restraint. History shows that protests are often hijacked by hoodlums, leading to massive destruction of lives and properties, as witnessed during the ENDSARS movement. Our nation has yet to fully recover from that devastation.
Let us embrace peaceful negotiation, as the pioneers of Nigeria’s National and International Disability Civil Rights Movements and Policy Changers did in securing the National Disability Act and the establishment of the Commission. Amidst the current agitation against bad governance, the Tinubu administration is listening and has been engaging with governors, traditional rulers, state APC Chairman, and other significant public figures to find solutions that can avert protests. It is crucial for the President not to overlook the issues within the Persons with Disabilities Community, as they pose a latent threat that could cause significant damage if not addressed. Already, many leaders of PWDs are dying and others suffering trauma from the ongoing crisis.
Let us embrace roundtable Disability-Inclusive peaceful negotiation styles without matching to the streets, as the Pioneers of Nigeria’s National and International Disability Civil Rights Movements and Policy Changers led by Miss Omotunde Ellen Thompson, Life-Chairperson, Board of Trustees (BoT), Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities of Nigeria (JONAWD-National), the Foundation for the Support of Wounded Nigerian Veterans, led by Brg. General Lonsdale Oladeji Adeoye (Rtd) Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities International, Inc (ERPWDI), led by Chief Eric Ndubueze Ufom and Good Shepherd Initiative, Inc, led by Lady Adaka Beatrice Kalu, patiently did for over two decades in securing the Nigerians with Disability Act, 2018 and the establishment of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD).
Amidst the current agitation against bad governance, the Tinubu administration is listening and has been engaging with governors, traditional rulers, state APC Chairman, and other significant public figures to find solutions that can avert protests.
However, pursuant to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) Article 11, it is crucial for the President not to overlook the serious, complex, constitutional, civil, human and disabilities Rights issues within the 35.5 Million Nigerians with Disabilities community, which is a huge political constituency of consequences, as they pose a latent threat that could cause significant damage if not addressed. Already, many leaders of PWDs are dying and others suffering trauma from the ongoing crisis.
UN CRPD Article Eleven mandated that, “States Parties shall take, in accordance with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, all necessary measures to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in situations of risk, including situations of armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and the occurrence of natural disasters.”
June 29, 2019, United Nations Security Council adopted first-ever resolution 2475 (2019), on protection of persons with disabilities in conflict, “Urged Member States to take steps to eliminate discrimination and marginalization on the basis of disability in situations of armed conflict. It also urged States parties to comply with their obligations under the 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Job Napoleon Agbor, An Associate Certified Fraud Examiner (ACFE), B.Sc. Accounting, M.Sc. Accounting, MBA in Financial Management, PhD Forensic Accounting and Investigation in view, also known as Hurricane through my work ethic, and I’m also a Critical Stakeholder/Member of the All Progressive Congress (APC) (Etomi ward in Etung LGA of Cross River State, Nigeria), Person with Disabled Academic Don, Representation of Nigerians with Disabilities.
CONVENER:
Pioneers of National & International Civil Rights Movement and Policy Changers in Nigeria
Phone: +234 (705) 844-7521, Email:jobnsoragbor53@gmail.com