25/01/2026
𝗔𝗡 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 𝗟𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗢 𝗦𝗘𝗡. 𝗛𝗘𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗞𝗘𝗡 𝗟𝗢𝗞𝗣𝗢𝗕𝗜𝗥𝗜, 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧, 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥, 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 (𝐍𝐂𝐃𝐌𝐁), 𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐍𝐂𝐃𝐌𝐁.
Dear Honourable Minister,
We hope this letter finds you well.
We write this open letter with a heavy heart, deep moral concern and a strong sense of responsibility regarding the continued exclusion of persons with disabilities from employment at the Nigerian Content Development & Monitoring Board. This letter is written not merely as an act of protest, but as a cry for justice, dignity, and humanity on behalf of persons with disabilities in Bayelsa State and across Nigeria.
Honourable Minister sir, since the establishment of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in Bayelsa State, the Board has conducted several recruitment exercises. Not once have persons living with disabilities been meaningfully considered for employment. This is not an error. It is not an oversight. It is a clear, consistent, and deliberate pattern of exclusion, carried out in open violation of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, which mandates a minimum of 5% inclusion of persons with disabilities in public employment. Beyond the legal framework, we believe that this deliberate act of exclusion runs contrary to our shared moral responsibility of ensuring that every member of our collective society is carried along and given a sense of belonging. It is in the spirit of fairness, compassion and humanity that the Late. President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law the Discrimination Against Persons Living with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act in 2018 to prohibit discrimination and promote the full integration of persons with disabilities in governance and public affairs.
As Chairman of the Governing Council of NCDMB, We believe you're aware of the litigation between Persons living with disabilities (PWDs) and NCDMB. In that regards, we would like to make it clear that persons living with disabilities (PWDs) did not rush to the courts. It is on record that for over 10 years, we have protested. We have written letters. We sought meetings. We engaged management. We appealed to conscience and leadership. Every door was shut. Every appeal ignored. Litigation therefore became a last resort—not a weapon, but the final lawful option available to a marginalized and silenced population. We believe that the courts still remain the last hope of the common person.
What followed has deeply disturbed not only persons with disabilities, but all Nigerians who still believe in justice, fairness and moral governance Rather than reflect, correct, or seek resolution, NCDMB chose to deploy professors, senior advocates, and an intimidating legal machinery—financed with public funds—against a protected and vulnerable population. Persons with disabilities—many unemployed, economically excluded, and struggling for survival—were met with overwhelming state power.
This is not power.
This is not leadership.
This is a moral failure and a national embarrassment.
We acknowledge that litigation naturally involves defence. However, the decision of NCDMB to deploy heavy legal machinery—professors and senior legal practitioners funded with public resources—against a vulnerable and protected group raises serious moral and ethical questions. This is especially so when employing a few qualified persons with disabilities would cost the institution nothing, yet restore dignity, comply with the law, and affirm our collective humanity. This conduct can only be understood as a clear confirmation of discrimination and a disturbing indication that disability inclusion is neither understood nor valued within NCDMB.
Persons with disabilities do not have the resources to hire SANs or professors. But we possess what cannot be taken away: our humanity and our dignity. When public institutions choose intimidation over inclusion, leadership loses its legitimacy and respect.
Honourable Minister, the Nigerian public deserves answers:
Are you aware that Nigeria has an Act that seeks to prohibit discrimination against persons living with disabilities and mandates their inclusion in public governance, including NCDMB?
Are you aware that persons with disabilities have been persistently excluded from employment at NCDMB even after series of protests, meetings and appeals?
Are you aware that public funds meant for the development of local content are being used to resist lawful inclusion and intimidate a vulnerable population?
Do these actions reflect your conscience, your leadership values, and the kind of legacy you intend to leave behind?
As a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, how does the exclusion and intimidation of persons with disabilities fit into the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu?
Sir, the world is moving forward. Across the globe today, disability inclusion is no longer debated—it is a basic standard of governance and human decency. It is a national embarrassment that a revered Agency of Government like the NCDMB is going to court to challenge disability inclusion. If, in the 21st century, leaders in Nigeria are still fighting inclusion instead of embracing it, then we must ask ourselves: is there truly hope for Nigeria? If leaders cannot look upon the most vulnerable with compassion, how then can they genuinely look upon others with compassion? A nation that turns its back on its weakest is a nation in moral decline.
Let us not forget that at the end of all power, ambition, and titles, we are all human beings. Power is temporary. Offices change hands. History does not forget. The consequences of the actions we take while in office endures beyond one's tenure. Leadership without compassion is empty, and authority exercised without empathy cannot command the respect of anyone. A leader who cannot show compassion to the most vulnerable cannot and should not be trusted with a greater office to serve the needs of others.
Let it be stated clearly and without apology: persons with disabilities are not asking for pity or charity. We are demanding justice, fairness, and equity. There are qualified, competent, and employable persons with disabilities who are ready and able to contribute meaningfully to NCDMB and to Nigeria’s development, if only they are given equal opportunity.
Honourable Minister, persons living with disabilities (PWDs) are also Nigerians and fellow compatriots. We are not strangers. We are not beggars. We are stakeholders whose dignity has been denied for far too long.
Sir, this moment presents you with a defining opportunity; an opportunity to rise above institutional arrogance, and to be remembered as an exemplary leader with a heart of kindness. You have the chance to demonstrate that leadership is not merely about authority, but about humanity and conscience.
You can choose to show that you are a good man.
You can choose to stand with the oppressed and not to further oppress them.
You can choose to write your name in history as one who showed kindness where cruelty was expected, one who wrote his name in gold.
Sir, we urge you to choose kindness over cruelty, to intervene decisively, and to ensure that NCDMB reflects the values of equity, inclusion, and humanity. In this regard, we encourage you to emulate the example of our Governor and leader, His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri, Executive Governor of Bayelsa State, whose administration has appointed over 40 persons with disabilities into political positions and deliberately included a significant number of persons with disabilities in the recent Bayelsa State civil service recruitment. This shows clearly that inclusive leadership is possible when leaders are kind-hearted.
Finally Sir, let this be said plainly: we will continue to struggle. We will continue to advocate, to protest, to litigate, and to pursue every lawful means necessary until our voices are heard and until leadership becomes compassionate. For without compassion for the next person, leadership is meaningless, and power exercised without compassion inevitably leads to failure and tyranny. No country or state pray for such leaders.
This issue has moved beyond one institution (NCDMB). It is now a test of conscience, character, and moral courage. The public is watching. Civil society is watching. Bayelsa is watching. History is watching.
This letter is written openly because injustice thrives in silence, and silence is no longer an option.
While we look forward to hearing from you, please, accept Sir, the assurances of our highest regards.
Yours in the struggle for dignity, justice, and inclusion,
Godsgift Fekosufa
Chairman
Osain Edward Igbogikimi
Secretary
For: Centre for Disability Rights, Empowerment and Development (CDRED)
Cc:
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu
Nigerian Senate
Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation
Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation
National Commission for Persons with Disabilities- NCPWD, Nigeria
Nigerian Federal Ministry of Justice
