Confusion As Gov. Bala Disengages Hamza Waziri, Appoints New Chairman For Bauchi Disability Agency

Confusion has trailed the selection of Chairperson of Disability Agency in Bauchi state as two chairmen were selected within space of two months after Bauchi state government discovered there were irregularities in the selection of who to lead the affairs of Persons with Disabilities within the Bauchi State Agency for Persons with Disabilities.

Hamza Waziri, a former Chairman of Bauchi state agency for persons with disabilities, received a late-night phone call on the 9th of November, 2020 informing him of his selection to serve as the chairman of the Agency.

On the 17th of November, while responding to an official invitation at the office of the Commissioner for Religious Affairs for his inauguration as Chairman of Bauchi State Agency for Persons with Disability, in the presence of family along with numerous friends plus well-wishers, Waziri was called aside and informed that his name had been replaced, that he was not the chosen candidate for the position.

A list of names which had earlier been given him with his typewritten name was crossed out by pen and summarily replaced with the new and now sworn-in Chairman, Ibrahim Kauran Mohammed.

Waziri had to do the honourable thing by leaving office for the new chairman.

Not long after, he received a phone call saying he is still the newly-appointed chairman of the agency and was asked to return to the state secretariat and was sworn-in the next day.

The letter of appointment stating Waziri as the chairman of the agency was withdrawn from the office of the Commissioner for Religious Affairs.

Hamza was then informed that the document of his appointment got stolen.

Two weeks after assuming duty, Hamza was directed to the Bauchi state government House to receive another appointment letter. And on 4th January, 2021, he was handed a letter of disengagement emanating from the office of the Secretary of the Government.

The disengagement letter dated, 31 December, 2020 was presented to Hamza Waziri on Monday January 4, urging him to handover to the newly appointed chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Mohammed.

The reasons for his disengagement Inclusive News Network, INN learnt, were because he is a non-indigene of Bauchi state and a card carrying member of Actions Progressive Congress (APC).

Responding to the allegations, Waziri noted that the reasons given were incorrect.

“I am non-partisan and solely work and deal with individuals, groups or entities who truly mean to advance the lot of PWDs and the rest of humanity. I am proud to say that I was born and raised in Bauchi and that Bauchi State sponsored my university education to Malaysia. Additionally, I received a National Honors Award from Bauchi State during my National Youths Service Corps”

Hamza admitted he hails from a nearby town in Gombe state called Jama’are Local Government Area of Bauchi State but added that living in Bauchi state should not hinder any Nigerian the rights to be employed by the government.

“I hail from nearby Gombe State, formerly part and parcel of Bauchi. And unless I am mistaken, of which I believe the good government and personage of H.E. Senator Bala AbdulKadir Mohammed will pardon any factual error on my part, any Nigerian citizen is accorded the right to be employed in the service of the Nigerian people; insofar said citizen is located on sovereign Nigerian soil. So, all this comes as a bit of rude shock, but I stand to be corrected.”

When contacted the new chairman, Ibrahim Mohammed, confirmed his appointment and told INN that Hamza was disengaged for being an indigene of Gombe State and a member of APC.

He added that he is the chairman of People Democratic Party (PDP) representing persons with disabilities in Bauchi state.

“I am the PDP Chairman Bauchi State persons disabled and other support group”

INN couldn’t get more details from him as he was not responding at the time of this writing.

INN also gathered that a petition was written by the Bauchi State Joint Association of PWDs and physically challenged cluster against Waziri’s appointment.