By Lanre Oloyede
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, Hon. Mohammed Abba Isa, has initiated a strategic partnership with renowned business strategist and mentor, Mr. Ugochukwu Omeogu, aimed at expanding economic opportunities, entrepreneurship, mentorship and corporate inclusion for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Nigeria.
The partnership emerged from a high-level strategic meeting between Isa and Omeogu on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, in Abuja, where both parties agreed to develop practical programmes capable of moving disability inclusion from policy commitments to measurable economic outcomes.
Omeogu, Chief Visionary Officer of Merignos Consulting and Mentoring Ltd., brings extensive experience in business strategy, executive mentoring, investment and organisational development.
His professional background includes experience with JPMorgan Chase Bank in the United States and the development of private banking initiatives in Nigeria.
His professional profile also highlights training and mentoring engagements involving major financial and corporate institutions.
Speaking at the meeting, Hon Abba Isa said the engagement was designed to explore ways of unlocking the economic potential of millions of Nigerians with disabilities.
He said the partnership would focus on four key areas—economic empowerment, accessibility, capacity building and corporate inclusion.
“Today is a great and remarkable day in the course of disability advocacy and development in Nigeria,” Isa said.
He explained that the mandate of his office under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was to ensure that disability inclusion became an integral component of Nigeria’s development architecture.
According to him, inclusion must move beyond policy statements to “measurable economic outcomes,” stressing the need to reposition PWDs as entrepreneurs, employers, professionals, investors, innovators and contributors to national productivity.
Isa proposed the establishment of a PWD SME and Entrepreneurship Acceleration Programme, which would provide targeted business education, financial literacy, entrepreneurship development, strategic management, marketing, leadership and investment-readiness training.
He also proposed an Executive Mentorship and Leadership Pipeline for Persons with Disabilities, particularly for young professionals and emerging entrepreneurs.
Under the proposed arrangement, accomplished professionals and business leaders would mentor PWD entrepreneurs and emerging leaders in areas including business management, corporate governance, leadership and wealth creation.
Another component of the proposed partnership is a Corporate Inclusion Advisory Framework, designed to strengthen links between PWDs and financial institutions, multinational corporations and major businesses.
Isa said the objective was to move beyond occasional corporate social responsibility interventions towards sustainable models capable of creating access to finance, procurement opportunities, employment, enterprise development and markets.
He further invited Omeogu to explore serving as a Senior Strategic Adviser or Ambassador for PWD Economic Empowerment, subject to agreement on the appropriate framework.
The SSA also proposed that Merignos Consulting and Mentoring Ltd. collaborate with his office in designing specialised capacity-building programmes for PWDs.
“We are not approaching this engagement merely to request support. We are inviting you to become a strategic partner in building a new economic narrative around disability inclusion in Nigeria,” Isa said.
Responding, Omeogu expressed appreciation for the opportunity and pledged to collaborate with the SSA’s office on developing practical interventions.
He cited a statement attributed to former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli that the greatest good one can do for another is not merely to share one’s riches but to reveal how to create one’s own.
Omeogu said the disability conversation should therefore extend beyond provision of physical infrastructure to equipping PWDs with the knowledge, skills and mindset required to overcome barriers and create economic value.
He said he was prepared to work with the SSA’s office to design a structure and identify specific areas where the partnership could make a practical difference.
“I am happy to work with you. I am happy to collaborate with you to see how we can make this work,” Omeogu said.
He also commended the accessibility features at the Federal Secretariat, describing accessibility as an important consideration in creating an inclusive environment.
Omeogu’s own professional profile centres on business mentoring, executive coaching, investment knowledge and organisational development, while his publicly available biography documents his experience at JPMorgan Chase and in Nigeria’s banking sector.
The meeting subsequently produced a concrete institutional outcome with the establishment of a Joint Technical Working Committee comprising representatives of the SSA’s office and Omeogu’s team.
The committee is expected to develop concrete programme proposals and implementation frameworks covering three initial pillars: PWD SME and Entrepreneurship Acceleration, PWD Leadership and Mentorship, and Corporate Inclusion Partnerships.
It will also examine potential partnerships with financial institutions, development finance institutions, corporations and other stakeholders, while developing funding mechanisms, implementation timelines, monitoring frameworks and measurable performance indicators.
The two sides are expected to work towards a formal Letter of Intent or Memorandum of Understanding, with a technical session to refine the programmes and implementation framework.
The proposed collaboration comes amid broader calls for stronger economic inclusion of Persons with Disabilities. Government sources have cited an estimated 35.5 million Nigerians with disabilities, while also acknowledging the need for improved disability data.
For the SSA’s office, the partnership represents an effort to connect disability inclusion with entrepreneurship, skills development, corporate participation and sustainable economic opportunities.
