Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have called for sustained economic, cultural, and social empowerment to combat poverty and eliminate street begging.
The appeal was made on Monday in Abuja during a Consultative Forum on the plight of Original Inhabitants with Disabilities in the FCT.
President of the Original Inhabitants with Disabilities in the FCT, Festus Yakubu, stressed the need for full implementation of the Disability Act signed by former President Muhammadu Buhari, noting that it would improve livelihoods and promote dignity.
Yakubu recalled years of neglect and discrimination, which left many PWDs living on the fringes of society. He described 2023 as a turning point, following the MacArthur Foundation’s launch of a skills acquisition and advocacy programme that trained over 200 members in trades such as bag making, metal fabrication, shoe making, and crafts.
“These practical skills have not only created income-generating opportunities but have also restored self-worth,” Yakubu said, adding that empowerment tools and assistive devices had been distributed to aid independence.
Chairperson of the Wives of FCT Traditional Rulers Association, Hajiya Hawa Adamu, pledged to advocate for greater cultural and political inclusion of PWDs. Drawing from her personal experience with a knee replacement surgery, she said disability should not be viewed as a limitation but as part of human diversity.
“Disability should never be a barrier. Inclusion is not charity — it is a basic human right,” she stated, stressing that financial inclusion is key to breaking the cycle of poverty.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Joint National Association of PWDs, FCT Chapter, Joseph Wakili, called for the rehabilitation of disability centres in the territory.
Organisers noted that one of the initiative’s most significant impacts has been the shift from dependence on street begging to self-sufficiency among beneficiaries, many of whom live with visual, hearing, speech, or limb impairments.
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