Strengthening Inclusion for PWDs: SSAP Abba Isa Calls for Greater Shift of Focus to Rural Communities

by Yusuf Mohammed Lawan,Gombe

15th May, 2025

Abuja, FCT- Nigeria. The Senior Special Assistant to the President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, Hon. Mohammed Abba Isa, has appealed to Nigerians from all walks of life to prioritize pushing for the emanicipation  and inclusion of PWDs communities living in the rural and grassroots areas of the country in order to facilitate their Fuller  integration into all aspects of public life.

 

The Senior Presidential aide made the calls in a  keynote address he delivered through his  Director of Media and Communications, Mr. Lanre Oloyede at the official launch of the Local Government Disability Framework, led by Hope Inspired Foundation for Women and Youth With Disabilities (HIFWYD), with vital support from the Disability Rights Fund (DRF) in Abuja.

Hon. Abba while speaking during the event urgued for stricter shift of disability Inclusion  focus from urban centers to the grassroots areas. 

 "I emphasized the urgent need to take disability inclusion beyond Nigeria’s cities into the rural communities and local government areas where most Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) live and are often marginalized"

Cross section of PWDs participants 

 "Many PWDs live in underserved communities where basic services like education, healthcare, and political inclusion are lacking" he lamented.

While acknowledging the absymal dearth of disability inclusive action in the rural Communities, the Senior Presidential aide used the occasion to express his deeper appreciation to the HIFWYD management for  demonstrating gunuine leadership in the drive for  championing Inclusion for the PWDs in Nigeria.

"I deeply commend  the HIFWYD for their bold leadership, resilience, and vision"

 "Their focus on grassroots governance is not just innovative it's obsolutely essential" he admitted. 

Emphasizing the importance of strengthening collaboration between the SSAP's office and the HIFWYD's to Foster workable Inclusion for PWDs, the Senior Presidential aide noted "this launch, under the Partnership for Disability Inclusive Local Governance (PADILG) project, marks a significant step forward"

According to him, "this initiative aligns with both the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and Nigeria’s Discrimination Against Persons With Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018. Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR’s Renewed Hope Agenda, I have been specifically mandated to work closely with state and local governments to institutionalize disability-friendly policies"

Hon. Abba further reaffirm the commitment of president Tinubu's leadership towards making life better for persons with disabilities in the country. He said "this administration is committed to upholding your dignity, rights, and potential. We are not leaving inclusion to chance, we are making it part of the system"

"My office", he continued,  "is ready and open to work with HIFWYD and others to ensure this framework doesn’t just sit on a shelf, it must drive real, visible change from Abuja to Ayetoro, Gwoza, Yunusari, Gwagwalada, and Okitipupa"

He added "i consider this framework’s launch a milestone a signal that local governments must now plan, budget, and deliver with the needs of PWDs in mind. May Allah SWA see us through. Amen"