Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has marked this year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities with the disbursement of multi-million-naira grants to persons living with disabilities in Sokoto State, under the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI). The programme, held in Sokoto on Wednesday, saw N64m released in support packages, including N50m earmarked specifically for beneficiaries in the state as part of a wider national intervention.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the Director-General, Media and Publicity, Government House, Sokoto, Abubakar Bawa, the First Lady, represented by the wife of the state governor, Fatima Aliyu explained that the scheme is designed to promote “long-term economic independence” for Nigerians with disabilities. She said the RHI is empowering 250 persons with disabilities in each of the 36 states, the FCT and DEPOWA, with each beneficiary receiving N200,000. “In total, 9,500 beneficiaries are receiving N1.9 billion,” she was quoted as saying, adding that over the past two years the initiative had supported more than 100,000 women, petty traders and small business owners, including persons with disabilities, with direct financial grants to grow their businesses.
Tinubu stressed that the initiative goes beyond cash transfers. “Our commitment to improving lives has also been demonstrated through various interventions in agriculture, economic empowerment, education, health, and social welfare,” the statement added, noting that the RHI had also provided food assistance to 22 states and the FCT, targeting internally displaced persons and other vulnerable groups. She commended Governor Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto for what she described as his consistent support for persons with disabilities in the state.
During the event, Governor Aliyu’s wife announced an additional N2m each to seven disability associations in Sokoto to strengthen their ongoing empowerment schemes. Providing further updates, the governor’s Special Adviser on Disability Matters, Umar Muhammad Sabon Birni, said the present administration had restored and increased monthly stipends for persons with disabilities from N6,500 to N10,000, with 6,679 registered beneficiaries currently receiving the allowance and plans to register more.
He also highlighted Ramadan feeding centres created to enable persons with disabilities break their fast and confirmed that the governor had fulfilled his pledge to distribute 1,000 hand-cycles across the state, describing the gesture as a major boost to mobility and independence.
In a goodwill message, Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, represented by Ubandoman Arkilla, Alhaji Aliyu Hassan, applauded Governor Aliyu for what was described as “people-oriented projects” being executed across Sokoto and pledged the Sultanate Council’s continued support. The event also featured a symbolic para-soccer match between the governor’s team and that of his wife, with the First Lady’s team winning 2–1, and the Sokoto Para-Soccer Team presenting a trophy they had earlier won in a regional competition involving teams from Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states.
