Bayelsa governor signs disability rights and teaching hospital bills into law

Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has assented to two significant bills: the Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) Bill and the Bayelsa Medical University Teaching Hospital (BMUTH) Establishment Bill.

The governor signed the laws on Wednesday during the 188th State Executive Council meeting in Government House, Yenagoa.

Describing the disability rights legislation as profound and a true people’s law, Diri stated that it guarantees dignity, equal opportunity, and fair treatment for all residents regardless of physical condition. He commended the bill’s sponsor, Dr. Charles Daniel, and praised the State House of Assembly for its speedy passage.

The governor noted that the new law addresses the exclusion of persons with disabilities from public and private infrastructure, adding that his administration’s performance would not be measured by physical projects alone.

Under the provisions outlined by the Speaker of the Assembly, Abraham Ingobere, the new agency to be established will have a part-time chairman appointed by the governor and a Director-General who must be a person with disability.

The law also requires that public transport, parking lots, and buildings be made accessible. Specifically, one out of every ten seats in a public bus is reserved for physically challenged persons, and suitable spaces must be marked in public parking lots.

On the teaching hospital law, Governor Diri said it ends years of debate over the need for a second teaching hospital in the state, arguing that a medical university cannot exist without a teaching hospital. The Bayelsa Medical University Teaching Hospital is now formally established as an independent institution.

Speaking on behalf of the Joint National Association of Persons With Disability, Bayelsa State chapter, chairman Mayor Doutiminariye thanked the governor for signing the bill into law.

Separately, the governor announced the dissolution of the board of Bayelsa United Football Club and the dismissal of its technical crew following the team’s relegation from the Nigeria Professional Football League to the Nigerian National League. An interim management will be constituted to oversee the team’s reorganisation and immediate return to the top flight.