In a move that might have been difficult to halt, a state legislative body has elected a member with disability as Speaker of its 8th assembly.
Hon. Barthiya Wesley became Nigeria's first Speaker with disability and No 3 citizen of Adamawa on June 13 when he won the seat unopposed at the inauguration of the new assembly.
Wesley didn’t win the contest on a platter of gold—or because of his disability.
Adamawa is one of the states that have yet to adopt the Discrimination Act 2018 or enact its own disability law. The, state, though, has a special rights commission that lumps PWD rights with children and other gender rights .
Issues of physical accessibility and equality remain unresolved in the northeastern state as they are across the nation.
But as the honorable representing Hong, the 30-something-year-old, according to reports, defied all odds, worked hard for the speakership, in good representation, execution of development projects his constituents could verify, and active participation on the floor in his first term.
So it could have been difficult to either rob him of his rights to contest or discriminate against him because of his disability
Wesley acquired his disability after a auto-crash which resulted in the amputation of his arm.
“Disability is a mindset syndrome, and if one sees oneself as disabled, one remain like that until they die without impacting their world,” he said after the election.
Nigeria’s Discrimination Act 2018 provides, among others, equal opportunities for PWDs in all areas of life.
But accessibilities, in particular, have been neglected, thus limiting the PWDs frome benefitting from other provisions.
