By Lanre Oloyede
The Medical Rehabilitation Therapists (Registration) Board of Nigeria (MRTB) is seeking a strategic partnership with the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, Hon. Mohammed Abba Isa, to champion the implementation of the National Policy and Strategic Plan for the establishment of medical rehabilitation centres for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in Nigeria.
The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of MRTB, Prof. Rufai Yusuf-Ahmad, disclosed this during a courtesy and advocacy visit to the SSA in his office in Abuja.
According to Prof. Yusuf-Ahmad, while MRTB’s mandate is primarily regulatory, it became clear that regulation could not be enforced without existing structures in place.
The registrar explained that: “When I realised that you cannot regulate what does not exist, I said to myself that instead of focusing solely on regulation, we must diversify and work towards establishing strong foundations. That way, there will eventually be something tangible to regulate.”
He noted that the launch of the World Health Organization (WHO) 2030 Agenda presented an opportunity to strengthen rehabilitation services in Nigeria. The agenda, he said, comprehensively covers leadership and governance, financing, service delivery, workforce, data and information, as well as assistive technologies.
Prof. Yusuf-Ahmad outlined the four phases of implementation under the agenda:
- Situation Assessment – to evaluate existing structures and identify gaps.
- Development of a National Policy on Rehabilitation and Strategic Plan.
- Design of a Monitoring and Evaluation Framework.
- Implementation.
He revealed that MRTB is currently at the situation assessment stage, with officers deployed across the 36 states to collect data. WHO has also provided a technical officer to support the process. Once the assessment is complete, the findings will be validated, paving the way for the development of a national policy and strategic plan.
However, he lamented the absence of a budget line for implementation, describing it as a major challenge. He stressed the need for strong leadership to drive the process forward:
“By the time we come up with the National Policy and Strategic Plan, we need a force that can secure implementation. We realised there is no one more formidable to lead this process than the SSA to the President on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities – a man with passion, a voice that is listened to, and the ability to take us into the future.”
He further revealed that MRTB has developed a plan to rehabilitate all rehabilitation centres in the country as part of its broader agenda.
In his response, Hon. Mohammed Abba Isa welcomed the delegation on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and commended Prof. Yusuf-Ahmad for his commitment to advancing the vision and mandate of MRTB.
He reiterated President Tinubu’s passion for the well-being of Persons With Disabilities and assured the MRTB of his unwavering support.
“I am fully committed and ready to support MRTB in achieving anything that will contribute to the success of the Renewed Hope Agenda for Persons With Disabilities in Nigeria,” he declared.
