By Esanbor Ihaza
Pioneers of National and International Disability Civil Rights Movement and Policy Changers have raised alarm over the decades of continued persecution, torture and intimidation of members of their group and journalists reporting the atrocities and violations of the fundamental human rights of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Nigeria.
The movement is led by the Convener, of the group, Job Napoleon Agbor, a Critical Stakeholder/Member of All Progressives Congress (APC), Etomi ward in Etung Local Government Area (LGA) of Cross River State, Nigeria, the Chairperson for the Board of Trustees (BoT) of Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities of Nigeria (JONAPWD-NATIONAL), and the President, Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities Initiative (ERPWDI), based in the Unites States of America (U.S.A), Chief Eric Ndubueze Ufom.
The group also decried the unnecessary harassments and discrimination against their members, exclusively from trainings and persecution of other critical stakeholders including, Chief Eric Ndubueze Ufom, President/CEO Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities International, Inc, Lady Adaku Beatrice Kalu, President/CEO of Good Shepherd Initiative, Inc, the investigative reporter of Guardian Newspaper Mr. Emmanuel Abayomi Adeshisa, and Mr. Eric Ojo, an independent researcher and freelance journalist and their family members.
The group further noted that efforts towards addressing this ugly development have not yielded any meaningful impact, over the years.
“Rather the perpetrators and beneficiaries of these heinous acts among persons with disabilities and their co-conspirators in Nigeria have embarked on issuing disclaimers and counter disclaimers and at worst scenarios embark on retaliation, repressions, intimidations, persecution, threats to our lives and a smearing mission.
“Each of these wrongdoings, tilts to adding to the ongoing insecurity, terrorism, torture, toxic, stressful, traumatic and deadly environment in Nigeria”, the group said in a paper presented at a recent event by its Convener, Job Napoleon Agbor.
Lending credence to this assertion, the movement pointed out that the failure to hold perpetrators accountable not only perpetuates injustice but strengthens their vigor for corruption, fraud, and crime.
“This false superhuman being who has assumed an ortho-pus status and declared themselves untouchable in turn embarked on excluding members of our group from opportunities to directly or indirectly participate and ensure proper implementations of their over three decades of hard works, such as trainings, meetings, conferences, programmes, and other services”, the group added.
According to them, the failures to hold these perpetrators accountable, results in continued unnecessary harassment, intimidation, repression, and persecution of their members, as well as their families, adding that this also affects our dedicated and seriously traumatized first responders and law enforcement agents and others, who have been diligently performing their investigative fiduciary duties for over two decades, since the era of President Jonathan.
“These individuals, who deserve thank you notes and prestigious awards and honors, strive to preserve their historical legacies for the betterment of the country”, the group stressed.
They however, also acknowledged that as the government and religious groups were busy persecuting members of their group at the same time, they were recognizing their intellectual property and implementing them.
The group recalled that disability matters in Nigeria have been an object of charity, sympathy, pity, marginalization, exclusion from enjoying national wealth, and discrimination. The trend got worse during the military interregnum, where there was a gross abuse of human rights talk-less of the overlooked population in Nigeria.
“Continuing through the democratic eras, starting from President Olusegun Obasanjo, under the People Democratic Party (PDP), we thought a messiah had come to enforce the protection and respect of the rights of PWDs but to no avail, despite that it was during this administration, precisely on December 13, 2006 and March 30, 2007, respectively that the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) was adopted by the UN Member States, including Federal Republic of Nigeria who thereafter signed it and its accompanying Optional Protocol (A/RES/61/106)”, (President Goodluck Jonathan ratified the UN CRPD and its accompanying Optional Protocol, on September 24, 2010) they further explained.
They cited the passage of the National Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) bill by the House of Representatives and the Senate, which was done without properly implementing the UN CRPD Article 4, especially, its Article 4.3, as another affront on the rights of the PWDs in the country.
The bill which was passed on November 8, 2018, and November 21, 2018, by both chambers respectively, was done without any input from members of the disability community.
“Instead of engaging in a genuinely inclusive process as initially promised, they rehashed and harmonized the old 1998 draft, failing to fully respect and implement the principles of, ‘Nothing About Us, Without Us’, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 2030 Agenda, ‘No one left behind’.
“His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari, on 23rd January 2019, assented to the bill and we now have a completely unconstitutional and defective Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018, which failed to implement the UN CRPD that needed total amendment by the present 10th National Assembly and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Moreover, successive administrations, up the present one led by President Tinubu, have not given the disability community the attention it truly deserves and this the movement said, has been very worrisome and frustrating for members of the movement.
“For instance, the same violation was committed when on October 23, 2023; President Tinubu signed and approved the ratification of the African Union (AU) Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
“It was done by word of mouth with no signature signing ceremony, no pictures or videos, to make matters worse no disabled person was invited as a witness except James Lalu, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission of Persons with Disability who when on dual purposes, to represent the President and as an observer of persons with disabilities. This is an aberration committed by an Executive Secretary National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) who in all standards should know and adhere to Articles 4. and 4.3 of the UN United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
“It is an insult to all more than 35.5 million persons with disabilities including At-risk Children, Almajiries, and internally displaced persons who were victims of traumas, suffering from one of its late effects called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (a psychological or mental disability), and the wounded Nigerian security officers, including the military, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), Department of State Services (DSS) police, and civil defense personnel”, the movement added.
They equally observed that while significant strides have been made, the path to full inclusion and respect for the rights of the PWDs requires continued dedication, transparency, and collaboration.
The group also expressed optimism that the present administration has what it takes to end the longstanding several decades of persecutions, discriminations, retaliations, repressions, intimidations, marginalization, exclusions of PWDs in the country.
“By championing efforts aimed at redressing the situation frontally, President Tinubu can leave a lasting legacy that transforms the lives of millions of Nigerians with disabilities, paving the way for a more inclusive and just society”, the group stressed.