By Lanre Oloyede
In his magnanimity and humanitarian spirit, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, Hon Mohammed Abba Isa, Tuesday rewarded some talented Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) with cash support at the National Prayer Summit organized for the Unity of the nation and the success of the Beyond Disability Project.
The talented PWDs, who showcased their unique potentialities with exhilarating performances that left the audience thrilled and emotional, were encouraged by Hon. Abba Isa, who assured them that his office through the Beyond Disability Project will ensure that their dream of becoming a superstar using their God-given talents is realized.
In his keynote address, the Senior presidential aide noted that the purpose of the Prayer Summit was to pray for our beloved nation and the success of the Beyond Disability Project.
According to him, the Beyond Disability Project is an initiative that seeks to transform over 5000 lives of Persons With Disabilities, break barriers, and create a society where everyone, regardless of their abilities, can thrive and contribute meaningfully.
He added that the project, which shall be launched by Mr President on July 22 at the Presidential Banquet Hall Aso Villa, is in line with the mandate given to him by the President, and it embodies our collective vision of a world where inclusion, accessibility, and equal opportunities are not mere ideals but living realities, in alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“We recognize that this noble endeavor requires not only human effort but also divine guidance and blessings.
“It is for this purpose that we decided to unite our voices and hearts in prayer, seeking God’s grace and favor upon this project. May our collective prayers bring about transformation and a brighter future for all,” the SSAP stated.
The presidential aide further reiterated that President Tinubu is really passionate about the disability community which was why he created the office of the SSA and mandated him to create avenues of opportunities for PWDs all over Nigeria to thrive.
The SSAP and noted that one of the ways to create this opportunities is through partnership and collaboration like this that resulted in the Beyond Disability Project, adding that as at today, the Project has attracted over twenty partners including the ECOWAS Commission whose members of State have adopted the project.
Hon. Abba Isa added that part of the plan of the project is to create an application that will contain data of all PWDs in Nigeria, stressing that with just a single click, anyone can access the database of PWDs in Nigeria from all over the world.
In her goodwill message, the Executive Secretary of Bauchi State Agency for Persons With Disabilities, Hon. Patricia Jerome, expressed her deep appreciation to the SSAP for inviting her to grace the occasion.
Hon. Jerome further expressed her love and passion for being in the company of people with Special Needs, adding that she loves to identify with special people and promised to do everything in her capacity to ensure inclusion of PWDs in Bauchi State.
While delivering his goodwill message, Mr Henry Nwafor, a member of the Board of Trustees of B-D Project, affirmed that PWDs are very talented people with a lot of potentialities, adding that this is a very important project that will lift more than 5000 PWDs out of poverty and doldrums if well managed with government support.
Mr Nwafor maintained that government still need to do a lot in terms of policies and legislation on accessibility to PWDs.
On his part, Mr Bobby Ojey, one of the partners of the B-D Project, expressed the happiness of his organization to be part of the novel initiative, stressing that they are ready to do everything to make the project work.
Also speaking, Mr Stanley Onyebuchi, President Nigerian Association of the Blind, thanked the SSA for coming up with this kind of project in the disability community.
Mr Onyebuchi noted that the office of the SSA has come up with this initiative that will make the PWDs to excel in their God-given talents.
He called on all PWDs to make good use of this golden opportunity, because this project is going to bring out the best in them.
National Coordinator of the Beyond Disability Project, Hon. Steve Rodstick, maintained that the disability community doesn’t need pity, rather what they need is support and the kind of support they need is not to give them fish but to teach them how to fish.
Hon. Rodstick stated that he is impressed with a lot of potentialities he has seen from PWDs so far on the auditioning platform, while urge them to support this program and support the SSA.
“Some of you will soon become superstar. It is time for you to showcase your talent to the world. This is what this project is out to achieve. This project is not for Hon Mohammed Abba Isa, it is for yourself,” he said.
Leading the first prayer session, Pst Okpogie Iredia Emmanuel of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, noted that God has ordered our steps to be here for a purpose and that purpose is to pray together for the nation and the success of the project.
While praying God to give the SSAP, Hon. Mohammed Abba Isa the strength , wisdom and grace to achieve more success, Pst. Okpogie urged PWDs to have the mind that they can do and achieve anything they set their mind to do.
He stressed that there’s nothing able person can do that PWDs can’t do.
While leading the second session of prayers in the Islamic way, the woman leader of Karon-majigi disability community commended the SSA for the initiative, saying that the PWDs have been looking for this opportunity and this is like answer to their prayers.
She prayed Almighty Allah to grant the program a success and further prayed for God’s continued protection for Hon. Mohammed Abba Isa to continue to deliver the benefits of his office to the disability community.
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