By Lanre Oloyede
The National Director of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) Affairs of the City Boy Movement, Hon. Mohammed Abba Isa, has urged members of the Deaf community and other persons with disabilities to actively participate in Nigeria’s civic and democratic processes.
Speaking at the Nigerian Sign Language Convention 2.0, organised by the Nigeria National Association of the Deaf (NNAD), Abba Isa stressed the importance of informing, engaging and empowering the Deaf community.
The convention, themed “Declaring Deaf People’s Human Rights Through Nigerian Sign Language Recognition” with the sub-theme “Inform, Engage and Empower”, provided a platform to advance the rights and participation of Deaf Nigerians.
Abba Isa, who also serves as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, commended NNAD and its National President, Comrade Haruna Muhammad Tsafe, for championing inclusion. He emphasised that language is a gateway to education, healthcare, justice, employment and political participation, calling for greater investment in Nigerian Sign Language.
He explained that to inform means ensuring Deaf persons and other persons with disabilities have access to information in formats they can understand; to engage means ensuring they are represented in decisions affecting their lives; and to empower means creating opportunities through education, skills, employment, entrepreneurship and political participation.
Highlighting initiatives of his office, Abba Isa noted empowerment programmes targeting over 5,000 persons with disabilities, with a projection of 36,551 jobs nationwide, and advocacy for the establishment of the Federal College of Education (Special), Dukku, Gombe State, assented to by President Tinubu in June 2025. He also disclosed an international partnership with strategist Ugochukwu Omeogu to expand economic opportunities and mentorship for persons with disabilities.
Turning to politics, he urged the disability community to become more active in Nigeria’s democratic process, declaring: “Our voices matter. Our votes matter. Our future matters.”
He encouraged participants to join the City Boy Movement as a platform for civic engagement, while rejecting violence, intimidation, discrimination and voter apathy.
Abba Isa concluded: “Let this convention mark another step towards a Nigeria where no Deaf person is excluded because of language, and where every citizen can inform, engage and empower themselves and others.”
He congratulated NNAD for convening the event and reaffirmed his office’s commitment to advancing accessibility, disability inclusion and equal opportunities for all Nigerians.
