By Our Correspondent

If bandits, terrorists or kidnappers come to your community and everybody has to scamper for safety with some seeking hideouts in the bush, and others running to only God knows where; what will be the fate of your brother or sister who is blind, or who uses a wheel chair, who relies on clutches or any other form of aid ?

If a violent thief or thieves invade a place shooting sporadically into the air and your old father or mother, sister or brother with perhaps hearing impairment did not hear the gunshots early enough to seek shelter from danger, what do you think would be his / her fate ?

Again, when a once agile breadwinner of a family becomes disabled from poor road infrastructure as evident in Nigeria, poor healthcare service delivery or due to a myriad of other anomalies identifiable in the system, what happens to their dependents ?

What if an individual seeking an elective office has the capacity, the experience, the local and foreign connections, and indeed the homestead goodwill to ensure a calm and secured atmosphere that would stop kidnappings, banditry, terrorism, and other forms of violent crimes, from endangering the blind in Nigeria, or the deaf or even those on wheelchairs and clutches, what would you do ?

Think for a moment that if the incoming administration of Atiku Abubakar would put food on the table, and bring medicine and better welfare for your aged and probably weak parents, would you allow religion, tribal sentiments or lies, mudslinging and propaganda from a people known to twist and discolour narratives, imprison your mind at the expense of the fate of your relatives and friends who cannot run into hiding in the face of danger, or who do not have the resources to seek better medical care abroad when the need arises ?

It is common knowledge that the current government has failed woefully in policies and programmes; and to give Nigerians much needed respite from poverty, insecurity, maladministration and infrastructural gaps.

Among the category of Nigerians more affected by the government’s lack of capacity are the vulnerables and those living with one form of disabilities or another.

Available records show about 12 percent of Nigerians aged 15 and above live with some form of disability, and 2 percent experience severe disability.

Among these Nigerians, poverty has become a staple in their households, with 71% (156 million) living below the poverty line, largely due to barriers to education, employment, healthcare, and mobility.

It is important to note also that older persons occupy a slot in the matrix of persons with disabilities. And this group is quietly neglected.

In fact many older Nigerians live with declining health and functional difficulties, and lack access to reliable pensions, affordable healthcare, or age-friendly social services.

Unfortunately, successive governments in the country have shown uncertainty in support for the elderly leaving millions exposed to poverty and neglect in old age. Amid these comes conflicts and insecurities which have further deepened the suffering endured by PWDs.

In 2026 alone Nigeria has a record over 3.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) resulting from insurgency, banditry, and communal violence (NEMA, IOM, UNHCR 2026). There’s no gainsaying that a substantial number of this population are pre-incidence PWDs or those who joined the PWD community following life defining injuries they sustained from the crisis.

Pragmatic Approach To Address The Challenges

Whilst it is true that these problems cannot be wished away, it remains a fact that intentional, systematic efforts must be employed to steer the nation away from where it is currently headed.

To this end, a President Atiku Abubakar’s government given his experience in public service, as a former vice president and as a successful businessman, has a localized and an intentional research to ensure that every policy, infrastructure project, and reform initiative is implemented to serve diverse populations from the day the government is sworn into power.

Most especially, and as a solution to the peculiarities of PWDs, the incoming President Atiku Abubakar’s administration, rather than treating inclusion as a standalone intervention, will adopt an “Inclusion by Design” model, ensuring that the deployment of government’s development efforts to all PWD concerns are guided by data.

The administration has also shown commitment to pursue a participatory policy-making approach that would amplify underrepresented voices, promote cross-sector collaboration to close opportunity gaps, and to ensure universal accessibility standards in public infrastructure, transportation, digital services, and housing.

That is not all. Facts on ground shows that a careful understanding of the gaps in the country’s education system accounts for the incoming government’s posture to integrate inclusive education practices across all levels of the education system.

It has also committed itself to promote inclusive employment through incentives, anti-discrimination
enforcement, and workplace accommodation policies for Persons With Disabilities.

This is in addition to institutionalizing disability mainstreaming audits across all government programmes.

Against this background, PWDs now have clear direction as the 2027 general elections draw near. There’s a roadmap away from the decades of uncertainty in government’s inclusion of our community in national discourse.

Evidence shows that an Atiku Abubakar’s administration would be led by credible national census, integrated social registries, and a National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) to guide decisions about who receives support, where resources are sent, and how progress is measured ; and data-driven policies ensure that help reaches those who need it most.

Even more, insiders reveal plans for basic subsistence allowance, through a Basic Income Grant (BIG) or unconditional cash transfer, to give
families the breathing room to meet essential needs like food, healthcare, and schooling for their children.

PWDs and indeed Nigerians of goodwill, this is our chance. Missing this opportunity is an option that cannot be contemplated !

By Abdul-Ganiyy Akanbi

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of hurrying legislation on state police to create the impression that it is tackling Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.

In a statement issued Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party described the proposed state police Bill as a “panicky” and politically driven move, rather than a well-thought-out constitutional reform.

While restating its support for state policing in principle, the ADC said the reform should not be marketed as an instant solution to banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism.

It argued that the policy requires strong institutional safeguards before it can be implemented.

The party accused the Federal Government of repackaging “a long-standing national consensus as a bold new initiative” and of pushing the constitutional amendment through the National Assembly without sufficient public consultation.

“What we are witnessing is a hurried response to a worsening security crisis, not the careful institutional planning required to build a functional, accountable and effective policing system,” Abdullahi stated.

The ADC also questioned the timing of the move, asking why the Tinubu administration waited until “almost the end of its tenure” to pursue state police aggressively if it was genuinely committed to the reform.

The party maintained that passing a law alone would not resolve Nigeria’s security challenges.

It listed recruitment, training, funding, command structures, intelligence coordination, judicial oversight, and correctional reforms as critical elements that cannot be built overnight.

By David Owei,Bayelsa

Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, on Thursday, inaugurated an ultramodern secretariat of the state All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yenagoa.

Governor Diri described the beautiful edifice as the “unity secretariat” as it brought together under one roof key stakeholders of the party for the first time in many years.

At a stakeholders meeting immediately after the commissioning ceremony, key leaders of the party, including the state APC chairman, Hon. Warman Ogoriba, thanked Governor Diri on behalf of the stakeholders and members of the state working committe for the befitting complex.

Ogoriba described it as the best party secretariat in the country, saying it will deepen the party’s unity and motivate members to work for APC’s victory in the 2027 general election.

In his remarks, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, hailed the exceptional leadership quality of Governor Diri, which he said has united the party in the state.

He assured candidates of the party, particularly in his Bayelsa West senatorial district, of victory in the 2027 elections, saying some politicians in other parties will be retired after the polls.

Also, Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, expressed happiness that he is part of the new unified APC family in the state, which he said was moving very fast, and called on “those on the other side” to join the party in moving the state and country forward.

In separate remarks, other stakeholders, including Senator Konbowei Benson (Bayelsa Central), member representing Sagbama Constituency 3 in the House of Assembly, Hon. Ebizi Ndiomu-Brown, and the Managing Director, Niger Delta Basin Development Authority, Prince Ebitimi Amgbare, all expressed gratitude to the governor for the secretariat and the unity of the party, expressing optimism that the APC will be victorious in 2027 across the state.

In his remarks, the Bayelsa governor lauded the unity among members, emphasising that the strength of the party was in working together.

He expressed appreciation to those who though lost in the recent party primaries still remained in its fold, calling them the heroes of the APC in Bayelsa.

Governor Diri stressed the importance of loyalty in politics, noting that without members standing solidly behind him, he would be unable to lead the party.

He assured party faithful that he will continue to operate an inclusive leadership style and called on leaders and political office holders at various levels to use their positions to uplift people and add value rather than oppress them.

He said: “I like to appeal that nobody should feel sidelined as nobody came to hijack the party. For those who did not succed in the last primaries, you are the heroes of this party as there was no winner nor loser. The only winner is the APC.

“We want to keep this party very strong so we can have the unity we need to succeed. Positions are opportunities and privileges that should be used to empower people. It is one thing to lead and another for people to follow.

“For those yet to be rewarded, keep praying and your benefit will come. APC in Bayelsa is more democratic than any other party and we showed it in the last primaries.

“This new secretariat is our house and whatever issues we have, they will be attended to here. We are happy that the party has a conducive place to work to improve productivity. “

The governor equally applauded the reforms undertaken by President Bola Tinubu, which he said informed his decision to join the APC, and appealed to Nigerians to be patient as the benefits will be felt soon.

Delivering a goodwill message, former NDDC Managing Director, Chief Ndutimi Aliabe, said he was back to the APC and thanked Governor Diri for his leadership and development strides in the state.

Also present at the event were the deputy governor, Dr. Peter Akpe, Speaker of the State Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abraham Ingobere, former deputy governors, Rt. Hon. Peremobowei Ebebi, Rt. Hon. Werinipere Seibarugu, and Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John-Jonah (rtd), as well Senator Barigha-Amange and the immediate past APC state chairman, Dr. Dennis Otiotio, members of the state executive council among other stalwarts of the party.