By Lanre Oloyede
No fewer than 50 Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Potiskum Local Government Area of Yobe State have received cash grants under the first phase of the Renewed Hope Cash Empowerment Programme aimed at promoting economic independence and improving livelihoods.
The programme, organised by the Persons with Disabilities Directorate of the City Boy Movement (CBM), was flagged off in Yobe State as part of efforts to deepen the Federal Government’s disability inclusion agenda under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Speaking at the event on behalf of the National Director of Persons with Disabilities Affairs, City Boy Movement, Hon. Mohammed Abba Isa, Haruna Tata Buduwa said the initiative underscored the administration’s commitment to creating economic opportunities for Persons with Disabilities across the country.
Abba Isa, who is also the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, expressed appreciation to the government and people of Yobe State for supporting disability-inclusive programmes, reaffirming his commitment to advancing the welfare and socio-economic empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.
He described the intervention as evidence that the Renewed Hope Agenda was delivering tangible benefits to Persons with Disabilities through targeted empowerment programmes.
According to him, the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities has continued to champion initiatives that promote inclusion, entrepreneurship and economic self-reliance among Persons with Disabilities..
He noted that the recent launch of the Beyond Disability Project by President Tinubu further demonstrated the Federal Government’s resolve to move beyond welfare interventions towards sustainable empowerment, job creation and inclusive national development.
Abba Isa disclosed that the 50 beneficiaries drawn from Potiskum Local Government Area received cash grants to support and expand their businesses, adding that the programme would subsequently be extended to other local government areas across Yobe State.
He also revealed that he recently facilitated the disbursement of 20 FarmerMoni grants to Persons with Disabilities in the state, with one beneficiary selected from each of Yobe’s 17 local government areas, while the remaining three beneficiaries were drawn from Potiskum to ensure wider inclusion.
He stressed that empowering Persons with Disabilities should be seen as an investment in human capital and national development rather than charity, noting that members of the disability community have continued to excel in business, public service and other sectors when provided with the right opportunities.
The National Director commended President Bola Tinubu for placing disability inclusion at the heart of the Renewed Hope Agenda and acknowledged the support of Vice President Kashim Shettima.
He also appreciated the Patron of the City Boy Movement, Seyi Tinubu, the National Leader and Director-General of the movement, Hon. Francis Oluwatosin Shoga, Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni, and the Yobe State Director of the City Boy Movement, Muhammed Yahaya, for their contributions to the success of the programme.
Abba Isa called on governments, development partners, financial institutions, the private sector and civil society organisations to invest more in disability-inclusive development, while renewing the call for the full implementation of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, particularly the provisions on accessibility, equal opportunities and the five per cent employment quota for Persons with Disabilities in public institutions.
He urged the beneficiaries to utilise the grants judiciously as seed capital for sustainable businesses and improved livelihoods, expressing confidence that their success would encourage greater participation of Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria’s economic development.
