The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), in collaboration with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has distributed over 600 relief materials to Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The distribution exercise took place on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at the Yangoje Leprosy Colony in Kwali Area Council.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of NCPWD, Hon. Ayuba Gufwan Burki, reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to improving the welfare of Persons with Disabilities across the country. He stressed that while relief interventions remain necessary, the Commission’s long-term goal is to empower PWDs to become self-reliant and economically independent. According to him, the growing population within disability communities, including children, makes it imperative to move beyond handouts to sustainable empowerment initiatives.
Hon. Gufwan commended NEMA for its timely response and support to the leprosy colony, urging the Agency to replicate similar interventions in other vulnerable disability communities nationwide. He also warned beneficiaries against selling the relief items, noting that such actions would defeat the purpose of the government’s intervention. He disclosed that a task force would be constituted, in collaboration with community leaders, to monitor the proper use of the materials.
Receiving the items on behalf of the community, the Emir of the Leprosy Colony, Alhaji Ali Isah, expressed gratitude to NCPWD and NEMA, describing the intervention as timely and crucial to alleviating the hardships faced by residents. He assured that the materials would be judiciously distributed and used for the benefit of families in the colony.
Also speaking, the North Central Coordinator of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Comrade Mike Gideon, praised the leadership of the NCPWD Executive Secretary and appreciated the Federal Government for the support. He, however, called for increased attention to infrastructure development within the colony, particularly electricity and other essential social amenities.
Items distributed during the exercise included 300 bags of 25kg rice, 300 bags of 25kg beans, 150 cartons of spaghetti, 30 kegs of five-litre vegetable oil, 30 cartons of tomato paste, 30 bags of iodized salt, 30 cartons of seasoning cubes, as well as 300 water purification kits, 300 blankets and 300 sleeping mats.
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