…Promises to support their crafts through the Beyond Disability Project and SMEDAN
By Lanre Oloyede
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, Hon. Mohammed Abba Isa, was astonished and excited with the ingenuity and creativity demonstrated by some visually impaired students of the University of Jos who, despite their disabilities, produced beautiful high quality handbags that can compete favourably in any market.
The three students of university of Jos whose names are Emmanuel Nymphas (200 level Social Studies ), Stephen Musa (400 level Special Education) and Musa Wulnaankus (500 level Law), who came all the way from Jos to pay a courtesy visit to the SSA in his office in Abuja, are specialized in production of handbags made from beads and laced with other beautiful ornaments as well as production of other products such as shoes, flower vases, detergents and many others.
According to the students, they decided to go into this enterprise in other to be able to support their education without being a burden on anybody and also to attain financial security both during and after their education.
Narrating their ordeal, Mr Emmanuel Nymphas, who spoke on behalf of others, lamented that they face many challenges including discrimination, lack of funding, lack of a well equipped workshop as well as other enabling environment needed for them to thrive in their enterprise.
The visually impaired students, who came to seek support and partnership with government through the office of the SSA to the President on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, stated that their desire is to establish a well equipped workshop where they can produced these products in large quantities and also be training other PWDs so that they can be financially independent.
Responding, Hon. Abba Isa noted that this exceptional gesture demonstrated by these students has further proved that there is ability in disability and that no form of disability is enough to stand as impediment in the way to achieving ones dream in life.
The Senior presidential aide further praised the boys for choosing going to go school despite their challenges and combining their education with vocational enterprise such as production of bags and other products.
He said even though many of those that went to school have problems of unemployment after school but with this skills and creativity the students have demonstrated, they are certainly not going to be looking for jobs after graduating from school but rather giving jobs to others.
The SSAP thanked God for helping them to overcome their challenges and serving as a source of inspiration to 35 million other Persons With Disabilities in Nigeria.
Hon. Abba Isa maintained that this initiative is in line with the objectives of the Beyond Disability Project that was recently launched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu which aims to discover, nurture and showcase the immense talents and potentialities of PWDs.
While declaring his 100% support for the students’ initiative, the SSAP promised to use the platform of the Beyond Disability Project to showcase their crafts to the world and also promised to introduce them to the management of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency, SMEDAN to see what they can do to support them to scale up their business.
To further demonstrate his admiration and support for the creativity of the students, Hon. Abba Isa purchased the two sample handbags produced by students at a cost of sixty thousand naira.
The presidential aide stated that the essence of the mandate Mr President gave him to create avenues of opportunities for PWDs by laiasing with MDAs, sub-national authorities, OPDs, CSOs, donors agencies and development partners is to ensure that PWDs are gainfully empowered and taken off the streets.
He expressed confidence that With the implementation of the Beyond Disability Project, his office is going to create over 36,551 job opportunities for PWDs so that they can be well engaged.
He however lamented the challenges of lack of disaggregated data of PWDs as major encumbrance to their development.
The presidential aide maintained that data is very key and essential in assist government to implement whatever policy they developed for the betterment of the lives of PWDs.
He said that was the essence of the Nigerian Persons With Disabilities Database, NPWDD, created by his office as one of the key components of the Beyond Disability Project which is an application that contains the data of all Persons With Disabilities in Nigeria.
