The senior special assistant to the president on special needs and equal opportunity, Mohammed Isa, has reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to disability inclusion, equal opportunity and youth empowerment in the country.

Mr Isa spoke at the inauguration of the ‘Bold Action for Advancing Disability Rights and Inclusive Development Project’ for selected states in the North Central in Abuja on Friday.

The three-year project is designed and implemented by the Justice Department and Peace Caritas Initiative (JDPCI), an agency of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, in partnership with Christian Blind Mission (CBM) International.

Mr Isa said the project represents a bold step toward promoting the rights, dignity, participation, and inclusion of persons with disabilities (PWDs) across Benue, Plateau, and the FCT.

According to him, the North-Central has enormous human potential, and persons with disabilities in these areas have the talents, ideas, and capacity to contribute to nation-building.

He said that the project focuses on strengthening disability-inclusive systems, improving access to opportunities and services, and supporting the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in community development and decision-making, which is particularly commendable.

“For us, disability inclusion must go beyond seeing persons with disabilities merely as beneficiaries of government and development interventions. They must be recognised as equal citizens, partners and contributors to national development.

“We must, therefore, continue to remove the physical, institutional, attitudinal, communication and economic barriers that prevent persons with disabilities from fully participating in society. Let me reaffirm the commitment of the administration of President Bola Tinubu to disability inclusion, equal opportunities and youth empowerment under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

“The President believes that Nigeria’s development must be inclusive and that no citizen should be left behind. Young persons with disabilities must therefore have access to education, skills acquisition, entrepreneurship, employment, technology, political participation and leadership opportunities; disability must never become a barrier to opportunity,” he said.

Mr Isa assured the JDPCI and CBM of government support and interventions, where necessary, for successful implementation and replication of the project in other areas.

The permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Deborah Odoh, commended JDPCI and CBM for the initiative.

Represented by a deputy director, Brenda Max-Nduaguibe, Ms Odoh said that the initiative reinforces the principle that no Nigerian should be left behind.

She said that disability inclusion must therefore be viewed, not simply as a welfare concern, but as an integral part of development planning.

“This alliance closely aligns with the mandates of the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning; effective development planning must be inclusive, evidence-based and responsive to the realities of our diverse population.

“Our work on social protection reflects these commitments to reducing vulnerability, strengthening resilience and ensuring that disadvantaged Nigerians benefit from development.

“Equally, gender responsiveness and social inclusion must remain embedded in our policies and programmes, recognising that different groups face different barriers. I, therefore, encourage all stakeholders to document what works, generate credible evidence, and share the lessons widely,” she said.

On his part, the executive secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, Ayuba Gufwan, said the Discrimination Against Persons with Disability Prohibition Act (2018) is a manifestation of the government’s commitment to an inclusive society.

He said that 30 states of the federation, including Benue, Plateau and the FCT, had domesticated the disability act.

Represented by the commission’s technical adviser, Adebayo Adebukola, Mr Gufwan said efforts were underway to ensure full implementation of the law.

“So, efforts are obviously ongoing across different sectors – education, health, social protection, and public infrastructure – to ensure that the law is given full implementation and impact on the lives of persons with disabilities.

“Of course, we are not where we want to be. It’s a journey, and what we have left is where we used to be, and of course, with projects like this, we can only do better.

“So, we look forward to the full implementation of this project, and we will give all the support that you may require to achieve all the objectives of this project,” he said.

(NAN)