Topic: A Speech by the Pioneers of Nigeria’s National and International Disability Civil Rights Movement and Policy Advocates on the Occasion of a Visit to the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, Hon. Muhammad Abba Isah.

Title: A Speech by the Pioneers of Nigeria’s National and International Disability Civil Rights Movement and Policy Changers  on the occasion

Presented by the Convener: Job Napoleon Agbor, ACFE

Led by: 

– Lady Omotunde Ellen Thompson, Mother of the Disability Civil Rights Movement and Life Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Nigeria 

– Chief Eric Ndubueze Ufom, the Indefatigable Father of the Early Disability Rights Movement in Nigeria and the Diaspora, President and Founder of Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities International, Inc. (ERPWDI). The only CSO/DPO that is accredited UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to directly do business with the United Nations worldwide.

On the occasion: Visitation to the Office of the SSA to the President of Nigeria on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, Hon. Muhamed Abba Isah 

Date: 17th September 2024 

We are honored to identify with you and extend our heartfelt congratulations on your numerous developmental initiatives aimed at improving the lives of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Nigeria. Indeed, you exemplify the qualities of a true disability advocate, and we commend President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for making the wise decision to appoint you as the bridge between his office and over 35.5 million PWDs, including Almajiris in Northern Nigeria, the underprivileged youth (Scolumbus, area boys), militias in the Southern Nigeria, including the  wounded military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, among others.

Sir, the scope of your work is indeed enormous, and we are pleased to note that you are rising to the occasion. Through collaboration with us, we are confident that your impact will go even farther and leave a lasting legacy. As Helen Keller once said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” The challenges we face are too vast for any one person to tackle alone, but together, we can accomplish greatness.

We are a consortium of non-violent advocates and negotiators, led by Chief Eric Ufom as our father figure and Lady Omotunde Ellen Thompson as our mother. Our membership comprises notable PWD leaders who have excelled in their respective fields, heroes and heroines dedicated to uniting the disability community in Nigeria. We believe in the shared mission, vision, and goal of advocating for the signing into law of the National Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 and the establishment of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD).

Our legacy as pioneers and barrier-breakers is evident. Our members have consistently championed the true implementation of Nigeria’s Disability Act 2018, the UN Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the African Disability Rights Charter Protocol, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Agenda 2030. We were instrumental in ensuring the refusal of a second term for the controversial figure, James David Lalu, and in advocating for the establishment of the National Commission of the Almajiris and out-of-school children’s education under President Tinubu.

Without mincing words, it is clear that not all is well within the disability community in Nigeria. As Henry Ford aptly put it, “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” Unfortunately, our community is in disarray, characterized with repression, retaliation, persecution and exclusion from conferences, meeting and seminars of truth speakers. Also, our community is  marred by infighting and a refusal to address injustice. This has allowed external forces, including donor nations and agencies, to dictate the course of our affairs, turning us into a laughing stock, even though we are one of the most populous and educated disability communities in Africa.

This dysfunction must stop. Now, more than ever, we need collaboration, and as the political appointee mediating between the executive arm of the government and over 35.5 million PWDs, you hold a pivotal role. As an African proverb states, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” We are here today to seek a constructive synergy with your office, the NCPWD, and us, the Pioneers of Nigeria’s National and International Disability Civil Rights Movement and Policy Changers.

We firmly believe that by forming a “threefold cord” between your office, the NCPWD, and our movement, we can cross-fertilize formidable ideas and execute programs that will benefit all PWDs in the 36 states of Nigeria, including the FCT Abuja, and all 774 local government councils. As Paul Solarz said, “Collaboration allows us to know more than we are capable of knowing by ourselves.” Through this collaboration, we can make a lasting impact.

To this end, we propose a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to formalize this partnership. Together, we can host a POST-2024 79th Session of the UN General Assembly’s Disability-Inclusive Summit of the Future and the 2024 Africa Industrialization Day, followed by a courtesy call to UN-Nigeria and UNDP-Nigeria. We also seek to create awareness for the high-level inaugural launch of the “Annual POST-UN General Assembly’s Grassroots, Community-based, Disability/Women-Inclusive and Accessible Participatory Peacebuilding initiative under the POST-2024 UN Summit of the Future and Africa Industrialization Day.

In closing, we look forward to a productive, truthful, and constructive synergy with your office. As Steve Jobs once said, “Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” Collectively, we can succeed in building a better future for all PWDs in Nigeria. Let us take this opportunity to create lasting change for our community and for the generations to come.

Thank you and God bless you for listening.

Signed:

Job Napoleon Agbor, ACFE

The Convener of the Pioneer of Nigeria’s National & International Disability Civil Rights Movement and Policy Changers: E-Mail: jobnsoragbor52@gmail.com and PHONE: +234 (705) 844-7521    

Miss Omotunde Ellen Thompson (FMRI) 

Chairperson BoT JONAPWD Nigeria

Mother of Disability Civil Rights Movement in Nigeria

Pioneer Disability Desk Officer in OHSOF 

Mother: Pioneers of Nigeria’s National and International Disability Rights Civil Rights Movement and Policy Changers

E-Mail: jobnsoragbor52@gmail.com and PHONE: +234 (705) 844-7521   

Chief Eric Ndubueze Ufom, President/CEO

Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities International, Inc. (ERPWDI)

Father: Pioneers of Nigeria’s National and International Disability Rights Civil Rights Movement and Policy Changers

E-Mails: equalrights4pwdsinter@gmail.com, Phone +1 (832) 758-0612