Nigeria’s PWD Pioneers Celebrate the Appointment of New NCPD Executive Secretary
Nigeria’s PWD Pioneers Celebrate the Appointment of New NCPD Executive Secretary, Chief Ayuba; Call for Commission Restructuring, a Forensic Audit of 2020-2024, Review the ongoing Effort to Amend the National Disability Act 2018 and put an end to the Repression, Retaliation, Persecution, and Torture of PWDs in Nigeria.
Today marks a historic milestone in Nigeria’s journey toward disability inclusion and civil rights. It is the fourth anniversary of the establishment of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD), founded on August 20, 2020, by then-President Muhammadu Buhari. This year, the NCPD embarks on a new chapter with the inauguration of Hon. Chief Barr Ayuba Burki Gufwan as the new Executive Secretary.
The previous administration of the NCPD was marred by controversy and discontent. Allegations of infighting, impunity, corruption, and unethical practices have plagued the disability community, exacerbating repression, retaliation, persecution, and even torture of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). The community now looks to Hon. Chief Barr Ayuba Burki Gufwan to steer the Commission back on course and restore sanity, trust, and integrity.
In a show of solidarity and support, the Pioneers of Nigeria’s National and International Disability Civil Rights Movement and Policy Changers, led by Lady Omotunde Ellen Thompson, paid a courtesy visit to the new Executive Secretary. Lady Thompson, revered as the Mother of the Disability Civil Rights Movement in Nigeria, was accompanied by a delegation that included notable figures such as Dr. Lengnen Jurmang, Executive Director of the Plateau State Disability Rights Commission; Mr. Hosea K. Bitrus, a frontline advocate for the Plateau State Disability Rights Law of 2005; Mr. Shindol Aaron Adamu, State Chairman of Plateau State JONAPWD; Engineer Ernest Anozie, Disability Desk Officer in the Federal Ministry of Commercialization, Innovation, and Digital Economy; and Mr. Makop Masok, a noted advocate known for his boldness in speaking truth to injustice. Master Nuhu, an At-Risk Child, was also in attendance.
Also present was Job Napoleon, known as “Hurricane,” who serves as the convener of the Pioneers of Nigeria’s National and International Disability Civil Rights Movement and Policy Changers, President of the Voice of the Voiceless for PWDs in Nigeria, a Critical Stakeholder/Member of the All Progressive Congress (APC) (Etomi ward in Etung LGA of Cross River State, Nigeria), and an Academic Don at the University of Calabar.
Chief Eric Ndubueze Ufom, President and Founder of Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities International, Inc (ERWPDI) (aka Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities Initiative (ERPWDI), was also recognized for his pioneering role in the international disability rights movement.
At the commencement of the meeting, immediately after prayers, Lady Omotunde Ellen Thompson requested a moment of silence in honor of the departed PWD Heroes and Heroines who paid the ultimate price advocating for the wellbeing of Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria. Some of these heroes participated in high-level dialogues and negotiations for the enactment of the National Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 and the establishment of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities.
The departed PWD Heroes and Heroines include Barr Philip Ibrahim, Prince Paul Adelabu, Barr Danlami Bashiru, Miss Sarah Akinola, Mr. David King, and Mrs. Ngozi Pauline Ikebuaku, who will be buried on August 24, 2024, in her hometown in Anambra. Others include Mrs. Njideka Grace Boyles Ojukwu (London) (Nee Okafor), Mr. Fredrick Nnabugo Mkparu (USA), Hon. Livinus Okpa aka Incumbent, CRS JONAPWD Chairman, Mr. Oluwuruwase Henry Ojo, Julius Shemang, and more.
Lady Thompson assured the Executive Secretary that her team is ready to stand by and work with him to ensure success. She advised Chief Barr. Ayuba to create programs that will unite and positively impact the lives of all Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria, including those in local communities across the 774 LGAs.
Similarly, Dr. Lengnen Jurmang, Executive Director of the Plateau State Disability Rights Commission, congratulated Chief Ayuba and assured him of the Commission’s support. He emphasized that all persons with disabilities in Plateau are excited and praying for his success as the Executive Secretary of the NCPD. Mr. Hosea K. Bitrus, a seasoned technocrat and advocate for the Plateau State Disability Rights Law of 2005, who once served as acting Executive Secretary of the Plateau State Disability Rights Commission, advised his brother Chief Ayuba to be firm, courageous, and focused, as his success would bring glory to Plateau State and Nigeria at large.
The Plateau State JONAPWD Chairman, Mr. Shindol Aaron Adamu, expressed his delight that the mantle of leadership has been passed to Plateau State, seeing it as divine. He advised Chief Ayuba to stand strong and clean up the mess in the NCPD. Mr. Makop Masok also encouraged Chief Ayuba, assuring him of their solid support from Plateau.
Engineer Ernest Anozie, Disability Desk Officer in the Federal Ministry of Commercialization, Innovation, and Digital Economy, representing PWDs in the Civil Service, expressed excitement that a learned individual who is a lawyer has assumed the position of Executive Secretary. He advised the new Executive Secretary to maintain an open-door policy and assured him of their willingness to collaborate for success.
During the visit, Job Napoleon delivered a powerful message to the new Executive Secretary, emphasizing the urgent need for a comprehensive restructuring of the NCPD to achieve optimal productivity. He called for a forensic audit of the Commission’s activities from 2020-2024 to assess the extent of liabilities and damages inherited from the previous administration. He stressed that the audit is necessary to expose and address the corruption and inefficiencies that have plagued the NCPD.
Napoleon further advised the new Executive Secretary to resist pressure from influential individuals attempting to thwart the forensic audit. He highlighted the importance of redeploying or removing directors and staff whose tenures have expired or who were improperly appointed, noting that the Commission’s workforce should predominantly comprise PWDs.
The delegation also underscored the need for training all NCPD staff on UNCRPD-Protocol, African PWDs-SDGs, the 2030 Agenda, and the Nigerian Disability Act. Continuous training was also recommended to better understand the behavioral patterns and peculiarities of PWDs.
Napoleon proposed that the NCPD partner with Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities International, Inc. (ERWPDI) to implement training programs based on toolkits developed by the United Nations for Africa. He mentioned that Chief Ufom was directly involved in representing Nigeria and the African region during the toolkit’s launch by the UN DSPD/DESA and was authorized to use it in African countries.
Additionally, Napoleon urged the new Executive Secretary to retrieve and revise the ongoing amendment of the National Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018. He argued that the amendment should align with international standards, such as the United Nations Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Africa Disability Chartered Protocol and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and include provisions on retaliation, repression, persecution, and torture, which are endemic in Nigeria and practiced with impunity without meaningful accountability. He stressed that the New Executive Secretary should be proactive in ensuring that section 12 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, is completely deleted to enable international treaties like the International Human Right Treaty of the 21st Century, which Nigeria signed and ratified becomes enforceable in Nigeria.
He said the New ES should think outside the box, by creating programs and events that will attract donor agencies grants and not depending only on the annual budget from the Federal Government as that will not be enough to put smiles on the faces of PWDs in Nigeria.
Napoleon also called for the harmonization of disability rights laws across Nigeria into one law that covers all states, rather than each state having its own law. Currently, only 22 out of 36 states have domesticated their disability rights laws, with some failing to establish a commission for PWDs. He encouraged the Executive Secretary to seek foreign funding to supplement the government’s budget for addressing the challenges faced by PWDs, as annual allocations alone will not suffice to address the magnitude of challenges PWDs in Nigeria face.
The solidarity visit marked a hopeful beginning for the NCPD under its new leadership, with high expectations for a transformative tenure that will prioritize justice, accountability, and the well-being of Nigeria’s disability community.