The Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities and the Spinal Cord Injuries Association of Nigeria have called on the Ogun State Government to fully implement the state’s Disability Law, nearly nine years after it was signed into law.

The groups made the demand at a joint press briefing held on Wednesday at the NUJ Hall, Iwe Iroyin House, Oke-Ilewo, Abeokuta, urging Governor Dapo Abiodun to provide the political direction required to conclude the implementation process before the expiration of his tenure in eight months.

The Ogun State Disability Law was signed by the former governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, on December 27, 2017.

The groups, however, said the law had yet to be fully operationalised, leaving persons with disabilities waiting for the legal framework to translate into functioning institutions, enforceable protections and accessible public systems.

The National President of SCIAN, Abdulwahab Matepo, and the Chairman of JONAPWD, Ogun State chapter, Ayo Awobona, made the call during the joint briefing.

They said, “A law passed to protect the rights of persons with disabilities must not remain a law on paper. It must become a law in action.”

According to the groups, the disability community had engaged the state government and other stakeholders through meetings, consultations, letters, courtesy visits and media advocacy since 2025 in an effort to resolve issues surrounding the implementation of the law, without any success recorded.

They stressed that their campaign was not intended to confront the state government but to ensure that commitments were translated into concrete action.

The groups said discussions about possible amendments to the law should not be allowed to indefinitely delay its implementation.

They advocated the operationalisation of the existing law in accordance with applicable legal procedures while any necessary amendments were pursued through the appropriate legislative process.

They said this would enable the government and the disability community to address implementation and possible improvements to the legal framework simultaneously.

The organisations said non-implementation had practical consequences for persons with disabilities, particularly in education, healthcare, transportation, employment, economic participation and political engagement.

They also called for accessible public institutions and mechanisms through which the rights of persons with disabilities could be protected and government obligations monitored.

The groups said the World Health Organisation estimated that about 16 per cent of the global population experienced significant disability.

They added that a 2025 JONAPWD “Assumptive Data of Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria” estimated that 1,032,221 persons were living with disabilities in Ogun State, based on a 15 per cent benchmark applied to the National Population Commission’s 2025 population projection.

Matepo said, “JONAPWD and SCIAN recognise government as an essential partner in achieving disability inclusion. We are therefore not presenting ourselves as opponents of government.

“We are presenting ourselves as partners seeking accountability and implementation. We remain ready to provide technical input, participate in consultations, review proposed amendments, mobilise the disability community and work constructively with government.

“But partnership must produce results. The disability community has demonstrated patience. We have written letters. We have attended meetings. We have made courtesy visits.

“We have engaged legal experts. We have engaged government officials. We have undertaken public awareness activities. We have participated in consultations. And we have continued to pursue dialogue. The next step should now be action.”

He added, “We respectfully call on His Excellency, Prince Dapo Abiodun, CON, to provide the necessary political direction to ensure that the process of implementing the Ogun State Disability Law is concluded before the expiration of his term in office.

“JONAPWD has already formally appealed to the Governor to intervene and direct the relevant authorities to conclude the necessary processes and commence implementation. We therefore ask that this matter receive the necessary attention at the highest level of the state government.”

Argentine President Javier Milei attacked the United Nations in a speech to the world body on Wednesday, calling it a “useless organisation” filled with “arrogant parasites.”

Milei, one of US President Donald Trump’s closest Latin American allies, has repeatedly used the UN platform to criticise global governance and its “woke” agenda.

He accused the United Nations on Wednesday of having failed in its duty to guarantee collective security and human rights, saying it had instead allowed “chaos, violence and international terrorism” to flourish.

The UN, he said, “has become a useless organisation, serving only to feed a caste of fatally arrogant parasites disguised as well-intentioned bureaucrats.”

He accused the organisation of “looking the other way” on Argentina’s claim to the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory which Argentines refer to as Las Malvinas and claim as part of their land.

Argentina has accused Britain of flouting a UN resolution ordering both parties to desist from unilateral action in the islands, over which the two countries fought a war in 1982.

“Those who follow the rules receive no reward for doing so, while those who break them face no repercussions whatsoever,” Milei said.

Underscoring Milei’s close ties with Trump, Argentina and the United States on Wednesday announced a joint initiative to improve the Latin American nation’s infrastructure and connect it with “vital economic sectors to major Atlantic ports and Western markets.”

The so-called Andes-Atlantic Corridor aims to facilitate investment in transport, digital infrastructure, minerals and energy, including Vaca Muerta, a massive hydrocarbon deposit in southern Argentina, a joint statement said.

Last Saturday, PUNCH Online reported that the United Kingdom backed businesses and individuals operating in the Falkland Islands after an Argentine federal judge ordered British and Israeli companies to halt development of an oil project near the disputed territory.

The UK Minister for Overseas Territories, Uma Kumaran, said the government stood behind businesses and individuals supplying goods and services to the Falkland Islands, including those in the hydrocarbons sector.

AFP

Source: punchng.com

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM

The Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau, Abdullahi Bello, says the bureau has investigated and verified the assets of more than 20 ministers and 30 permanent secretaries as part of efforts to strengthen accountability among public officers.

Bello disclosed this in Abuja on Wednesday at an anti-corruption and asset tracing stakeholders’ workshop organised by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda in collaboration with the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa.

Bello said the CCB had moved beyond merely receiving asset declaration forms to examining declarations, investigating suspected infractions and prosecuting offenders.

“We are not submitting forms anymore. Now, we’re examining the forms, we’re also investigating, and we’re also prosecuting,” he said.

The chairman said the bureau had focused its verification exercise on high-profile public officers.

“We have interviewed and verified the relations of more than 20 ministers, 30 permanent secretaries, 32 health agencies, and other high-profile individuals,” Bello said.

He said the bureau invites public officers to its office for face-to-face examination of their records.

“One of the key things that we do is that, once you declare your assets at the beginning of your term, we verify it; then we’ll wait for you at the end of your term, and we’ll also verify it.

“If you see any difference between the beginning and the end, that can only be explained by your non-social income, then we investigate you and prosecute you,” he said.

He stressed that the CCB could commence an investigation before the end of an official’s tenure where allegations or intelligence existed.

“But it doesn’t mean that we have to wait for you to finish office before we can investigate you. If there is any allegation against you, we can also investigate. Or if there is intelligence against you, we can also investigate, he said.

Bello described asset tracing as central to the bureau’s anti-corruption efforts.

“Asset tracing is not a side issue. It’s where investigation becomes persistent,” he said.

He also said the CCB had secured convictions and forfeited properties and funds linked to breaches of the code of conduct.

“For the first time in the life of CCB, we have been able to do that,” he said.

Bello said the Code of Conduct provisions provided for sanctions including removal from office, disqualification from holding public office and forfeiture of assets acquired through breaches.

“If you look at the prohibition of the Code of Conduct, there are three major punishments for Code of Conduct breaches. First, you can be banned from office for 15 years. You can be removed from office. And then finally, the assets that you acquire from a breach can be forfeited to the government,” he said.

Speaking at the workshop, the Executive Secretary of HEDA, Arigbabu Sulaimon, said the meeting was aimed at strengthening inter-agency collaboration, intelligence sharing and the role of civil society in combating corruption.

Sulaimon said the workshop was “conceptualised not merely as a platform for speeches, but as a technical working session” to advance three core institutional objectives.

He said the first objective was “bridging interagency silos and fostering civic synergy,” stressing the need for effective information sharing among government agencies and civil society organisations.

“Realising full accountability requires seamless real-time intelligence exchange among our primary military and enforcement bodies,” Sulaimon said.

He added that civil society organisations could contribute to investigations through grassroots monitoring and open-source intelligence.

“Importantly is forging strong operational pipelines with civil society organisations whose grassroots tracking and open-source intelligence tools provide invaluable leads for criminal investigation,” he said.

Sulaimon also called for greater use of the Proceeds of Crime Act and the Code of Conduct Bureau’s statutory mechanisms in tracing and recovering illicit assets.

“Operationalising the Proceeds of Crime Act, POCA, is essential to ensure that confiscated assets are not only effectively recovered, but managed and disposed of with absolute public transparency,” he said.

He further urged the authorities to make asset declaration a more effective tool for detecting illicit enrichment and abuse of public office.

“Furthermore, we must transform the code of conduct we use after the declaration process from a routine and restricted exercise into a dynamic, verifiable mechanism for detecting early signs of illicit enrichment and public office abuse,” Sulaimon said.

On whistleblower protection, the HEDA executive secretary said greater safeguards were needed to encourage individuals to provide information on corruption and other crimes.

“Whistleblowers remain the single most effective catalyst for uncovering criminal crimes. Yet, without robust statutory protections and safe reporting mechanisms, courageous individuals remain vulnerable to retaliation,” he said.

Source: punchng.com

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM