Philip Daniel Yatai - NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA

Philip Daniel Yatai
Jun, Fri, 2025

Health

FCT Health Secretary honoured for health, environment, climate action

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By Philip Yatai

Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, Mandate Secretary, Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), has received three recognitions for her impactful contributions in health, environment and climate action.

Mrs Bola Ajao, Special Assistant to the Mandate Secretary on Media, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Friday.

Ajao described Fasawe’s recognition for her dedication to public service as simply “remarkable”.

She said that the mandate Secretary received three major awards in one month for her outstanding work in healthcare delivery, environmental protection, and climate advocacy.

She said that the first award came during the Annual Conference of the Pest Control Association of Nigeria, held at Radisson Blu in Lagos.

She explained that Fasawe was named the “Amazon of Environmental Health,” at the event, a title reserved for leaders making major strides in environmental health and pest control.

“She was later presented with the “Silent Hero in Healthcare Delivery” award at the 7th edition of the Nigeria Silent Heroes Awards (NSHA) in Abuja.

“The award recognised her impactful but quiet leadership in improving healthcare systems and policies across the FCT.

“The third honour came from her alma mater, the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Osun State, where she received an Award of Excellence in Climate Action during the 2025 International Conference of the Faculty of Social Sciences.

“The three-day event with the theme, “Accelerating Climate Action for Sustainable Livelihoods in Nigeria,” highlighted her efforts in integrating climate-focused strategies into public health and governance,” she said.

She said that dignitaries at the event commended Fasawe’s visible contributions in promoting climate action and celebrated her as a proud ambassador of the university.

“A special reception was later held in her honour by her former classmates,” she said.

Ajao said that the recognitions reflect Fasawe’s consistent record of service, leadership, and commitment to both people and the environment.

She added that Fasawe’s achievements have continued to inspire action toward sustainable development in Nigeria.

Responding, Fasawe attributed her successes to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s doggedness in advancing the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

She equally thanked Wike for creating an enabling environment that allows all the Mandate Secretaries in the FCT Administration to explore their potential and deliver the dividends of democracy to FCT residents. (NAN)

Edited by Ekemini Ladejobi

Philip Daniel Yatai
Jun, Fri, 2025

General News

World Refugee Day: BEACON calls for inclusive humanitarian response

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By Sani Idris Abdulrahman

As the world marks World Refugee Day, a Kaduna based NGO, the BEACON of Transformative and Inclusive Development Center, has called for inclusion in humanitarian response.

The theme of the BEACON’s celebration is “Inclusion in Exile: Protecting Dignity, Rebuilding Peace”.

Executive Director of the BEACON, Mrs Abigail Olatunde, in a statement issued to newsmen on Friday in Kaduna, lamented that over 120 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced.

Olatunde also lamented that Africa has more than 43 million displaced people, with Nigeria alone accounting for over four million internally displaced persons due to violence, environmental shocks, and insecurity.

She noted that the displaced face significant challenges, including lack of access to healthcare, education, legal identity and safe housing.

According to her, displacement affects everyone, but not equally, where persons with disabilities, older persons, women, and children face unique struggles.

“The humanitarian system often falls short, failing to provide inclusive services such as sign language interpreters, assistive devices and accessible shelters,” she said.

The executive director believed that peace is not just the absence of war, but the presence of justice, dignity, and opportunity.

She, therefore, called for an inclusive humanitarian design, access to healthcare, education, legal identity, shelter, recognition of climate-displaced persons and investment in resilience and dignity.

“Every child enrolled, every ID issued and every clinic with ramps, interpreters and inclusive care is an act of peacebuilding, not charity.

“Let us ensure inclusion, travel with people, even in exile, and protect the dignity of the displaced. Displacement may take people from their homes, but it must never take away their rights,” she said.(NAN)

Edited by Augusta Uchediunor/Ekemini Ladejobi

ANRiN project exceeds target, delivers 6m services, tasks stakeholders on sustainability

Philip Daniel Yatai
Jun, Fri, 2025

Health

ANRiN project exceeds target, delivers 6m services, tasks stakeholders on sustainability

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By Sani Idris Abdulrahman

The Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) project, has rolled out its achievements in improving the health and well-being of children under five, adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women in Kaduna State.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the first phase of the ANRiN project would end on 30th June 2025, while the second phase, 2.0, would begin on July 1st, 2025.

The ANRiN 2.0, which has three components, would entail; basic package of nutrition services, convergence with food systems and
data-driven multi sectoral coordination and accountability.

Delivering a presentation at a four-day sustainability workshop in Kano, the Project Manager of the ANRiN project in Kaduna, Dr Zainab Muhammad-Idris, said over the course of it first phase, the project delivered a total of 6,267,880 services, exceeding its target of 5,784,983.

Muhammad-Idris said that the services provided by the project included vitamin ‘A’ supplementation, deworming, micronutrient powder distribution, and counseling on Maternal, Infant, and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) practices.

She added that the project provided contraception services, including Short-Term Methods (STM) and Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC), to adolescent girls.

Muhammad-Idris said a total of 146,897 adolescent girls received child spacing and family planning services, with 23,578 opting for LARC and 123,319 choosing STM.

At facility level, the project manager said that the project trained 60 Master Trainers, 120 Secondary Health Facility workers, and 510 Primary Health Care workers on various aspects of healthcare delivery.

She added that over 300,000 pregnant women were reached with MIYCN counseling, iron and folic acid supplementation, and intermittent preventive treatment for malaria.

Muhammad-Idris said the project established and strengthened 23 Grievance Redress Committees (GRCs) across the state, which serve as a platform for communities to provide feedback on the project’s services.

Speaking further, she recalled that the ANRiN project also provided emergency support to the Tudun Biri community (Drone attack victims) with food items, livestock, seedlings, agricultural inputs, among others.

The Chairman, Kaduna State Committee on Food and Nutrition (SCFN), Bashir Muhammad,stated that the project’s achievements demonstrated the impact of collaborative efforts in improving the health and well-being of children, adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women in Kaduna State.

Muhammad stated that such collaborative approach would be crucial in ensuring that the benefits of the project were felt for years to come, and that the health and nutrition needs of the state’s most vulnerable populations continue to be met.

He, therefore, said it was imperative that the stakeholders continue to work together to ensure that the gains were sustained for the betterment of the state and nation in general.

Muhammad restated the SCFN’s commitment to supporting initiatives that improve nutrition outcomes in Kaduna State, emphasising the committee’s role in coordinating efforts to address malnutrition.

The State Nutrition Officer (SNO), Ramatu Haruna, lamented that malnutrition was a major public health issue in the state contributing to over 50 per cent of under-five deaths.

Haruna was represented by Jibril Isah, the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at the State Primary Health Care Board.

He said that key MIYCN indicators revealed critical gaps with only 13 per cent of newborns receiving timely breastfeeding.

She explained that 41.1 per cent of infants were exclusively breastfed, and 12.3 per cent of children aged six to 23 months met proper feeding standards.

Haruna said that the state had 1,063 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs), 31 Secondary Health Care Facilities, with 162 offering Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM) services and 560 delivering MIYCN interventions.

Similarly, she said that one tertiary hospital and 31 secondary facilities served as Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) stabilisation centers, supported by community-based Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) services in all the 23 LGAs to strengthen capacity.

The SNO also said that 585 health workers from 162 PHCs had been trained on IMAM, alongside 1,620 community volunteers who have established 14,580 support groups statewide.

Earlier, Nutrition Specialist for ANRiN project in Kaduna, Hauwa Usman, said the workshop, which strategically brought stakeholders from various MDAs, was to review the achievements and lessons learned.

She added that the meeting was to strengthen capacity for sustainability planning and encourage multi-sectoral collaboration

NAN reports that ANRiN is a state-led and World Bank-funded performance-based project which aims to increase the utilisation of quality, cost-effective nutrition services for pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls, and children under five years of age.

Primarily, the project focuses on increasing access to and utilising a community-based Basic Package of Nutrition Services (BNPS) according to established targets to reduce malnutrition in Nigeria.

The programme is currently being implemented in 12 high malnutrition burden states in Nigeria.(NAN)

Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani

Strike: NUBA Polytechnic lecturers earn less than NYSC members – ASUP

Philip Daniel Yatai
Jun, Thu, 2025

Education

Strike: NUBA Polytechnic lecturers earn less than NYSC members – ASUP

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By Mustapha Yauri

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP), Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria Chapter, has raised alarm over alleged poor salaries earned by the polytechnic lecturers as the union continues its strike.

The union alleged that the lecturers earned less than the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, which according to it, is sparking concerns over educators’ welfare.

The Chairman of the union, Malam Usman-Shehu Suleiman, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Zaria on Thursday.

NAN reports that the joint staff unions had embarked on a one-week warning strike on June 16, which grounded academic activities at the two campuses of the institution.

The strike was hinged on the non implementation of the National Polytechnic and Colleges of Education Salary Structure and implementation of the 65 years retirement age for non-teaching staff among others.

Suleiman, who is also the Chairman, Joint Action Committee of the staff unions of the institutions, said the net pay of an assistant lecturer at the institution was N64, 400, which he said was far below the monthly allowance of NYSC members.

“This, among other reasons, caused the institutions to experience drastic brain-drain and many lecturers are on the verge of leaving the institution.

“We lose cohorts of lecturers to Federal University of Transportation Daura, Katsina State; Federal Polytechnic Gombe and Kaduna State University (KASU) among other institutions.

“We have an instance where a lecturer was sponsored to acquire masters and Ph.D by the institution upon his return; he found the situation unbearable and decided to leave,” he said.

However, the chairman added that the lecturer had signed a bond with the institution, therefore, he had to repay NUBA Polytechnic over N21m.

The chairman described the situation as ‘bad omen’ for the education sector.

Similarly, Abubakar Aliyu-Shika, Chairman, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnic (SSANIP), NUBA Polytechnic branch, said the union had been agitating for the improvement of salary since 2009, “almost 16 years ago.

“We had series of agreements with the state government on June 11, 2010, and June 19, 2014 over the matter and nothing was done besides just signing the agreement and complaints of paucity of funds.”

He added that on Dec. 17 2024, Gov. Uba Sani assured the leadership of the joint unions that the Polytechnic and College of Education Salary Structure (2024) would be implemented by the first quarter of 2025.

“Regrettably, we are at the end of the second quarter of the year and no concrete steps have been taken to fulfill this promise,” he said.

Aliyu-Shika noted that one of the excuses was paucity of funds in the state and the government would fully implement the new salary structure when the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) improved.

He added that the total staff strength of the polytechnic was little above 900, saying, ”now, the government has recruited 500 new staff; it means the financial situation has improved, hence our demands.” (NAN)

Edited by Esenvosa Izah/Muhammad Lawal

Tax: Wike says ‘big men’ remain FCT’s biggest problem

Philip Daniel Yatai
Jun, Thu, 2025

Metro

Tax: Wike says ‘big men’ remain FCT’s biggest problem

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By Philip Yatai

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, says big men (rich people) residing in Abuja remain FCT’s biggest problem in voluntary tax compliance for development.

Wike stated this during the inauguration of the newly constructed Collector Road CN2 (Zakari A. Kyari Street), in Abuja on Thursday, by President Bola Tinubu to celebrate his second year in office.

The road, from Arterial Road N11 (Ahmadu Bello Way) in Mabushi to Katampe District, leading to Judges Quarters and other connecting roads were constructed by the FCT Administration.

The minister said that the big men living in the FCT do not like paying taxes.

He, however, expressed dismay that the same big men pay their taxes and ground rent voluntarily in London, the United States of America and other foreign countries.

He said that the CN2 road and other connecting roads in Katampe District were executed with taxes and ground rents paid by responsible residents.

“For those who said we sealed their houses for not paying a ground rent, see the value; see the product of paying a ground rent.

“If you don’t pay, nobody will provide this infrastructure because the only thing the city has is just to collect taxes.

“People say Abuja is rich. How rich is it?” he asked.

He explained that what Abuja collects from the Federation Account was one per cent of what was due to the Federal Government every month.

“So, assuming that the federal government gets N800 billion every month. One percent of N800 billion is N8 billion Naira and N8 billion is not enough to pay salaries.

“Our salary today is not less than N13 billion because of the minimum wage increase.

“So, if we only depend on one per cent of what the federal government gets every month, it means that we can only pay salaries, not to talk about carrying out infrastructure.

“That’s why we’re very aggressive in saying you cannot enjoy infrastructure free of charge. You have to pay.

“It has nothing to do with ‘I belong to party A; I belong to party B, I belong to party C’,” he said.

He urged Tinubu, who was represented by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Mr Benjamin Kalu, to talk to FCT residents on the need to pay their taxes.

This, he said, would enable the FCT Administration to deliver more infrastructure in the territory for the good of all.

He reminded FCT residents, particularly big men, that whoever has land in the territory and has not paid ground rent should pay or their names would be published as defaulters in newspapers.

He particularly pointed out that no poor man has the financial resources to build a house in Katampe and Mabushi, adding that those building houses in the areas were rich men.

“Mr Deputy Speaker, see what we are talking about. If you know you have land here and you have not paid, I will publish your name that you have not paid.

“It has nothing to do that I want to embarrass you, no. We need money to do the work that we are doing.

“No poor man can do these houses. No poor man. These houses are being built by rich men. So, you have to pay so we can carry out the job of delivering critical infrastructure.

“We need people to pay their taxes so that we will carry out development in the interest of our people,” he added.

Earlier, Mr Richard Dauda, acting Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority, said that the project was executed by CGC and was flagged off in October, 2024.

Dauda said that the CN2 road was a dual carriageway of two lanes each while the other roads were single carriageway.

He added that road projects were executed to provide infrastructure and open up the Katampe District for development.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that shortly after the inauguration, Wike inspected Judges Quarters under construction in Katampe and the N5 Road (Obafemi Awolowo Way) from Life Camp to Ring Road III scheduled for inauguration on Friday. (NAN)

Edited by Abiemwense Moru

Deputy Speaker hails Wike’s prudent investment of public resources

Philip Daniel Yatai
Jun, Thu, 2025

Metro

Deputy Speaker hails Wike’s prudent investment of public resources

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By Philip Yatai

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has commended the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, for prudent investment of public resources to impact the lives of residents.

Kalu gave the commendation during the inauguration of the newly constructed Collector Road CN2 (Zakari Kyari Street), in Abuja on Thursday, by President Bola Tinubu to celebrate his second year in office.

The road, from Arterial Road N11 (Ahmadu Bello Way) in Mabushi to Judges Quarters in Katampe District, and other roads were constructed by the FCT Administration.

The deputy speaker, who represented Tinubu at the event, said that the parliament was proud of the FCT minister.

He expressed gratitude to Wike for his tireless efforts in delivering infrastructure projects in the FCT.

According to him, Wike’s commitment to transparency and accountability in the implementation of FCT’s budget is commendable.

“His ability to deliver projects within budget and timeframe is a testament to his leadership and vision.

“I said so because, oftentimes the parliament is worried when we make budget appropriations on whether the report of the budget implementation will reflect what the intention of the parliamentarians was at the time of making the appropriation law.

“Last year you inaugurated several projects and this year, again, you have given us 17 days to inaugurate projects.

“We are proud of you.

“We want to assure you that we are never afraid of approving your proposals when they come before the parliament because we know you know how to invest government resources to be able to impact the lives of the people that we govern.”

The lawmaker said it was not only Tinubu that was impressed with Wike’s services, “the parliament is impressed with your services.

“You have projected in reality not in theory the aspirations of Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda.

“You have steadily, continuously and diligently proven that the principle guiding the agenda was not mere theory, and for that we are grateful,” he said.

Edited by Abiemwense Moru

Tinubu reaffirms commitment to urban devt, improved quality of life

Philip Daniel Yatai
Jun, Thu, 2025

Metro

Tinubu reaffirms commitment to urban devt, improved quality of life

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By Philip Yatai

President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to urban development and improving the quality of life of residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Tinubu stated this while inaugurating the newly constructed Collector Road CN2 (Zakari A. Kyari Street) and other roads, in Abuja on Thursday, to celebrate his second year in office.

The road, from Arterial Road N11 (Ahmadu Bello Way) in Mabushi District to Judges Quarters in Katampe District, and other roads within Katampe, were constructed by the FCT Administration.

Represented by the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr Benjamin Kalu, the president said that his administration would continue to invest in critical infrastructure.

He identified key areas to include roads, bridges, housing, transportation, education, and healthcare.

According to him, infrastructure development is not an expenditure, but a good investment for the people.

“I assure you that we are committed to making sure that every Nigerian feels the impact of good governance.

“We will continue to work tirelessly to deliver infrastructure projects that will enhance the quality of life for our citizens.

“This project reflects our administration’s commitment to urban development and improving the quality of life for our citizens.

“We believe that infrastructure development is critical to national growth and development.”

Tinubu commended the FCTA Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike and his team for prioritising infrastructure delivery.

He urged the residents of Mabushi, Katampe, and surrounding areas to protect and preserve the roads while using them.

On his part, Wike said that the construction of the roads was flagged off in October 2024 for completion in 12 months.

He, however, said that the contractor, CGC, was able to deliver the roads in about nine months due to its capacity to deliver quality projects, and in time.

The minister said that the roads would not only improve mobility and interconnectivity but improve the economies of the areas.

He particularly said that prices of land in the areas would significantly increase, which would be beneficial to landowners.

Wike attributed the successes being recorded in the delivery of infrastructural projects in the FCT to the continued support of Tinubu.

Earlier, Mr Richard Dauda, acting Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority, said that the project was executed by CGC and was flagged off in October, 2024.

Dauda said that the CN2 road was a dual carriageway of two lanes each while the other roads were single carriageway.

He added that road projects were executed to provide infrastructure and open up the Katampe District for development.

Edited by Sadiya Hamza

Minister urges youth to remain hopeful for better Nigeria

Philip Daniel Yatai
Jun, Wed, 2025

General News

Minister urges youth to remain hopeful for better Nigeria

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By Patricia Amogu

Minister of State for Finance, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite has urged Nigerian youth to remain hopeful for a better Nigeria in view of the federal government’s commitment to implementing its Renewed Hope Agenda.

Uzoka-Anite said that with President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to reviving the economy, the impact of the efforts being made would be felt across all the regions in the country.

The minister said this in Abuja on Wednesday when she received in her office, Mr Kevin Timothy, the National President of Tinubu Young Generation Forum.

She reassured the NGO of President Tinubu’s commitment to creating the environment conducive for young people to excel economically and for the nation to be recognised as a country with the best innovative youth on the global stage.

“The necessary reforms of President Tinubu are reviving the economy and in a short time the reforms will yield results across all regions.

“The President is committed to empowering young people and is working on policies that embrace youth inclusion and engagement in every space and sector.

“He has created a conducive youth-friendly environment and has been supporting programmes that maximise the potentials of every Nigerian youth, giving them the opportunity to thrive economically.” she said.

Speaking earlier, Kevin praised the minister for encouraging the youth.

“As a respected leader and mentor whose expertise and dedication to public service are truly inspiring, you have readily demonstrated strong mentorship and passion for passionate young people.

“We look up to you for strength and support and we know that young people are learning from your wealth of experience and gaining valuable insights for development and growth

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting provided an opportunity for insightful discussions on nation-building.

The Tinubu Young Generation Forum is an organisation aimed at driving capacity building for young leaders, mentorship and empowerment of potentially ambitious leaders in the society under President Bola Tinubu’s guidance. (NAN)

Edited by Emmanuel Yashim

Artisans key to inclusive economic growth, says BOI

Philip Daniel Yatai
Jun, Wed, 2025

Economy/Business

Artisans key to inclusive economic growth, says BOI

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By Lucy Ogalue

The Bank of Industry (BOI) has described Nigerian artisans and technicians as the backbone of inclusive economic growth and key to the country’s future industrial development.

The Managing Director of BOI, Dr Olasupo Olusi, said at the Nigerian Artisans Leadership Summit 2025, on Wednesday in Abuja.

Olusi said that with more than 12 million artisans nationwide, the sector held immense potential for grassroots enterprise and national transformation.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the summit was themed “Unlocking the Inherent Potential of Nigerian Artisans and Technicians”.

It brought together artisan leaders, development partners, government officials, and other stakeholders to discuss challenges and opportunities within the informal sector.

Olusi was represented by Ms Mabel Ndagi, Executive Director, Public Sector and Intervention Programmes of the bank.

He said that the bank’s vision for inclusive development was centred on enabling artisans to thrive through better access to finance, training and integration into formal economic systems.

“The theme of this summit goes to the heart of inclusive development.

“It reflects a vision of Nigeria where talent is not wasted due to lack of support and where informal skills are not excluded from formal opportunities,”he said.

Olusi identified several key challenges artisans faced, including limited access to affordable finance, outdated equipment, poor business structures, lack of export participation and inadequate research and development.

To address these issues, Olusi said that BOI had structured its 2025 to 2027 corporate strategy around six thematic pillars.

“These include supporting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), youth empowerment and skills development and digital economy expansion.

“It also includes advancing climate sustainability, investing in critical infrastructure and promoting gender inclusion.

“These focus areas are not just bureaucratic categories, they are lenses through which we are re-imagining support for artisans and grassroots entrepreneurs,” he explained.

Olusi reaffirmed BOI’s commitment to providing both financial and advisory support to Nigerian enterprises that sustain local economies and spur national growth.

“Our vision as a development finance institution is to transform Nigeria’s industrial landscape by empowering the enterprises that power this nation.

“At the heart of this vision are artisans and grassroots entrepreneurs like you.

“And true national development cannot be outsourced or imported, but must be built by skilled hands and passionate hearts,” he said.

The Artisan Leadership Summit marks another step in BOI’s broader drive to deepen financial inclusion, unlock the potential within the informal sector and promote sustainable livelihoods across the country. (NAN)

Edited by Francis Onyeukwu

Discrimination, violations against PWDs: NGO inaugurates Rights in Action project

Philip Daniel Yatai
Jun, Wed, 2025

Health

Discrimination, violations against PWDs: NGO inaugurates Rights in Action project

125 total views today

By Angela Atabo/Justina Auta

CBM Global Disability Inclusion, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) has inaugurated the” Rights in Action” project to address intersectional discrimination and human rights violations against Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).

Inaugurating the project on Tuesday in Abuja, Mr Abdulazeez Musa, Country Director, CBM Global Disability Inclusion, said the project aimed to address all forms of marginalisation against PWDs.

According to Musa, the project which is an Organisation of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) advocacy project is funded by the Finland Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“The project is being facilitated by CBM Global Disability Inclusion and implemented by our technical partners, Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) and Inclusive Friends Association (IFA).

“What the project aims to achieve is to help PWDs to be able to achieve their goals and live their lives with dignity, to enjoy their full fundamental human rights just like anybody else.”

Musa added that the project also aimed to make PWDs have the ability and the capacity to self-advocate.

“On this project, we will be focusing largely on the marginalised groups because even among PWDs we have those that are also further marginalised.

“So you can imagine the layer of marginalisation and discrimination. An example of such a group is persons with learning difficulty or challenges and sometimes even the deaf community,” he said.

The country director explained that the organisation would work with such groups to strengthen their organisational capacity with a view to designing projects, mobilising their members and speaking out for themselves.

He said the OPDs would come up with the priorities themselves and design the interventions as they see fit and the technical partners would provide the needed support.

He added that a key aspect of the project would be to analyse how the community sees PWDs which is at the core of the issues.

Musa noted that Nigeria was not short of laws because it had passed the Disability Rights Act, adding that implementation had been the issue as people continue to see PWDs as persons that cannot contribute to nation building.

“So this project aims to address that; and we hope to see that this law is now being fully implemented by being allocated funds during the budgeting process and PWDs are living just like any other person in Nigeria,” said.

He disclosed that the project would run for two years, commencing in two pilot states of Adamawa in the Northeast and the Federal Capital Territory.

In the same vein, one of the implementing partners, IFA, said the project would aid in closing the marginalised gaps against and among PWDs.

The Executive Director, IFA, Grace Jerry, said the expectation of IFA would be to spotlight the most marginalised organisations that haven’t really been made part of major policies to drive inclusion processes in Nigeria.

“So for us, it is spotlighting those organisations and empowering them to drive policies for themselves, by themselves, and for the general good of the marginalised group.

“For instance, you talk about the deaf-blind community. This is a community of persons with disabilities who haven’t really gained much recognition in terms of their needs and their rights.

“This project, therefore seeks to amplify such marginalised groups and, of course, other groups giving them an opportunity to drive policy for themselves.

Mr Abdullahi Usman, President, JONAPWD, and also the implementing partner of the project, says the dream of the project is to see the underrepresented groups among PWDs get their own rights like others.

“This is because although collectively, PWDs in this country are fighting for their rights, but among us, there are also some PWDs who are also discriminated against within the community.

“For instance, people who have intellectual issues, people with cerebral palsy, the deaf and blind and persons with albinism are often denied their rights because of claims that they are not PWDs.

“So my expectation at the end of this project is to see that other communities of PWDs fully understand that all PWDs have equal rights with people without disabilities,” he said.

A representative from the Ministry of Women Affairs, Ms Sweet Okundaye, Director Legal Services, commended CBM Global Disability Inclusion for the initiative and promised the ministry’s support to the project.

Similarly, Ms Oluchi Adieze, Desk Officer, Rights of Persons with Disabilities, National Human Rights Commission, said the commission was established to promote, protect, and enforce the rights of every human living in Nigeria.

Adieze pledged the commission’s support to the project and urged the implementing partners to leverage its state offices to address human rights challenges from the grassroots. (NAN)

Edited by Deborah Coker