With funding support from the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, TAF Africa organized a town hall in Bayelsa State on Mainstreaming Participation of Persons with Disabilities in Governance Processes in partnership with the Office of the Secretary to the State Government.
In his goodwill message, the Secretary to Bayelsa State Government, Hon. Gideon Ekeuwei said that the government is dedicated to creating an environment where their rights are upheld, and their voices are heard, and is committed to implementing policies that foster inclusivity, remove barriers, and provide equal opportunities for all.
In his words, “We consider it a strategic essential for the overall growth of our state, as well as a matter of social fairness, that persons with disabilities actively participate in governing processes.
“As the Secretary to the State Government, I assure you that the government of Bayelsa is dedicated to creating an environment where the rights of persons with disabilities are upheld, and their voices are heard. We are committed to implementing policies that foster inclusivity, remove barriers, and provide equal opportunities for all.
“I commend TAF Africa for their relentless efforts in advocating for disability inclusiveness and I express gratitude for organizing this Town Hall Meeting. It is platforms like the work towards a more inclusive and just society.”
He added that the theme of the meeting aligns with the state government's commitment to building a more inclusive and accessible government.
The CEO/Founder of TAF Africa, Amb. Jake Epelle commended the Governor of Bayelsa State, Sen. Douye Diri for appointing persons with disabilities as Special Advisers and Special Assistants. He also appealed to the Governor to prove himself as the number one inclusive governor by appointing a person with a disability as commissioner after the inauguration of his second term in office.
According to him, “Let me use this occasion to call on the Bayelsa state governor, Senator Douye Diri, that you are about to constitute a new government, thank you for giving us Special Advisers, but this time around we want a commissioner, not a commissioner for persons with disabilities, but a commissioner with disability. We have many persons with disabilities across board that can function in several ministries, use this occasion to prove yourself as the number one inclusive governor by appointing a person with disability as a commissioner.”
“I think this is the beginning of what might snowball into a national and continental agenda which is inclusive governance, getting the government to commit to creating the platform for participation of Persons Living with Disabilities in all strata of governance whether it is in legislative or executive or judiciary.
“It is an opportunity to bring together all the ministries, persons with disabilities, and Non-Governmental Organizations to discuss a template for inclusive governance. We created a pathway for that synergy and duty bearers to commit to what they will do to ensure that persons with disabilities are carried along.
The town hall had in attendance several permanent secretaries from relevant ministries in Bayelsa State, the Secretary to the state government, Leaders in the disability community, civil society organizations, various clusters of persons with disabilities, and organizations of persons with disabilities.
A Journey Of Rights and Disability Inclusion
A Journey Of Rights and Disability Inclusion Since the end of the Second World War, the global community has been undergoing a period of profound societal change. Civil Rights movements have shaken the foundations of the global order, standing at the heart of social transformation and progressive change for the better part of the last two centuries.This story can be traced, in various ways, to pivotal moments across our historical past. No area of human civilisation has been immune to debates and movements about the rights of individuals and the responsibility of the state, or supreme power, to the citizens who are governed by it.Across age, class, sex, faith, sexuality, and disability, individuals have advocated and fought for the gradual reshaping of their societies into the world we live in today – one aspiring toward a concrete vision of individual liberty, equality before the law, incorruptible justice, and shared prosperity. Yet, the journey has not always been smooth. We may view the past in entirely barbaric terms, and in many ways, we would be right. Still, history shows us that resistance to oppression has always existed. For the simple yet radical idea of human equality, battles were fought, won and lost; wars were waged, and countless lives were sacrificed.As far back as 1100 BCE, records from ancient Egypt suggest the occurrence of organised workers’ strikes. In 287 BCE, in ancient Rome, the dictator (no relation to modern-day dictators, please) Quintus Hortensius, passed the Lex Hortensia, a law which theoretically secured political equality between the ruling Patrician class and the free Plebeian citizens by making all resolutions from the Plebeian Council binding on all Roman citizens. Centuries earlier, Persia, under the infamous Cyrus the Great, issued the Cyrus Cylinder, a declaration often regarded as one of the earliest endorsements of religious freedom. Progress, however, has rarely been swift. It was not until the 1960s – during the height of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement – that disability inclusion began to emerge as a distinct movement with its own pure identity, advocating for a community whose experiences cut across age, class, gender, and culture. Prior to this, early steps toward social protection existed in the US, most notably the Social Security Act of the 1930s, signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the first U.S. president with a physical disability.Between the 60s and the 90s, Civil Rights took multiple leaps forward around the globe. Across Africa, people reclaimed self-governance after a century of colonial rule. These transformations were marked by deep struggle, highlighted by the deeply divisive racial conflict in apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa. In Nigeria and throughout the continent, citizens grappled with the profound responsibilities and challenges of independence, democratic self-determination, and governance.Alongside these transformations, other social changes gained momentum worldwide. As gender (sex) rights, religious liberty, and freedom of expression raced forward, the world made enormous progress in the integration of persons with disabilities (PWDs). By the late 90s, the US, Canada, India, and the UK had enacted laws prohibiting discrimination based on disability.The newly formed United Nations played a central role in shaping global disability advocacy with the 1975 UN Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons. This milestone set the stage for later international frameworks, most notably the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2007, which emphasised not only fundamental rights like the right to accessibility and the right to life, but also focused on the socio-economic foundations that make political rights meaningful.Today, over 100 countries on Earth have enacted and implemented some form of legislation on disability inclusion. Still, the journey continues.Nationwide implementation of accessibility standards, increased participation of persons with disabilities in the workforce, politics, policymaking, and governance, inclusive education systems where children with disabilities and without disabilities learn together safely, and a societal culture that embraces rather than marginalises disability – these, and many others, are the markers of progress that remain ahead of us.On this journey toward true disability inclusion, we at TAF Africa, our donors and partners, and team, are committed to walking every step of the way.