Unmasking Corruption at the National Disability Commission: A Call for Transparency, Justice, and Full Disclosure

How Over ₦1.9 Billion 2024 Capital Procurement awarded on the 8th April 2025 during the PTB meeting in the NCPWD Board Meeting Room Sparked a National Demand for Accountability at NCPWD

On April 8, 2025, the Parastatal Tender Board (PTB) of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) reportedly awarded over ₦1.9 billion worth of contracts of the 2024 procurement that was allowed to run concurrently by the Federal Government till June 2025 for various goods, works, and consultancy services allegedly meant to benefit Nigeria’s over 40 million persons with disabilities (PWDs), but behind the façade of empowerment lies a trail of suspected contractual fraud, racketeering, and elite impunity.

Summary of Questionable Contract Awards

Goods:

•           Supply of Assistive Devices for the Deaf – ₦90,436,800.00

•           Supply of Assistive Devices for the Blind – ₦91,058,213.00

•           Supply of Assistive Devices for the Physically Challenged – ₦61,882,750.00

•           Supply of Assistive Devices for Persons with Albinism – ₦95,400,000.00

•           Supply of Assistive Devices for Amputees – ₦95,340,000.00

•           Educational Learning Materials for Students with Special Needs – ₦97,723,500.00

•           Supply of Agricultural Equipment – ₦96,475,000.00

•           Solar Power Tools and Training of PWDs – ₦48,841,887.00

•           POS Machines – ₦97,156,000.00

•           Purchase of Vehicles – ₦189,200,000.00

•           Supply of Office Furniture – ₦45,928,569.05

Consultancy:

•           PWDs Data Collection – ₦97,231,992.50

•           Online Job Application Platform – ₦29,455,000.00

•           Consultancy on Training of PWDs on Agricultural Skills – ₦48,831,875.00

•           Training of PWDs on Digital Skills – ₦47,615,000.00

•           Training for Justice Actors – ₦99,091,175.00

•           Capacity Building for Security Personnel – ₦44,263,125.00

•           Training on Accessibility Audit for Firm Personnel – ₦69,972,750.00

•           Training of PWDs on Deployment of Assistive Technology – ₦30,027,900.00

Works:

•           Renovation of North Central Office (Jos) – ₦107,407,041.05

•           Renovation of South West Zonal Office – ₦145,429,980.19

•           Renovation of Karmajiji Skill Acquisition Centre (Abuja) – ₦49,017,661.88

As the convener of the Ad Hoc Consortium of Pioneers of Nigeria’s Disability Rights Movement, I, Job Napoleon (aka Hurricane), under the leadership of Chief Eric Ndubueze Ufom (Okala Mmuoa Okala Mmadu), Nigerian-American President & Founder of Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities International (Houston, Texas, USA), and Lady Omotunde Ellen Thompson, Co-founder and Chairperson, Board of Trustees, Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD-Nigeria) we join forces with truth-seeking Nigerians with disabilities to demand urgent accountability and full public disclosure.

The Commission—mandated by section 31 (1) of Part VII of the National Discrimination Against Persons with Disability Prohibition Act of 2018, to ensure the integration, education, and economic empowerment of PWDs—has become, we allege, a playground for a few privileged elites in Abuja. The beneficiaries of these massive contracts remain unnamed. The deliverables remain unverified. The communities most in need remain untouched.

What Are We Demanding?

In a formal petition served to anti-corruption agencies, we have done the needful.

We are not raising these alarms lightly. Our evidence-based approach draws on forensic accounting and sustainability reporting principles, in line with international standards. We seek justice—not revenge—and systemic reform—not scapegoating.

Why This Matters

This is not just about contracts. It is about dignity. It is about trust. It is about whether the Nigerian state sees persons with disabilities as citizens with rights or charity cases to be exploited.

We can no longer tolerate a culture of secrecy, impunity, and elite capture of public resources. We must end this practice of siphoning development funds under the guise of inclusion. Accountability is non-negotiable. Transparency is mandatory. And silence is no longer an option.

Next Steps

We have formally petitioned anti-corruption agencies, the House Standing Committee on Disability Matters in the Federal House of Representative, the Office of the Auditor-General, and development partners. We call on the Nigerian public, especially the disability community, to stand with us.

Let this be clear: We are not afraid. We are organized. And we are coming—armed not with sentiment, but with facts.

Job Napoleon (aka Hurricane) 

Disability Rights Advocate, Expert in Forensic Accounting & Sustainability Reporting, Academic Don in the University, President and Founder of Voice of the Voiceless for PWDs and Convener: Pioneers of Nigeria’s National and International Disability Civil Rights Movement and Policy Change Advocates (Ad Hoc Consortium)