The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, Mohammed Abba Isa, has called for the institutionalization of disability data collection across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to strengthen inclusive governance and national development.
Isa made the appeal while addressing stakeholders at a three-day consultative workshop on strengthening the implementation of the National Disability Management Information System (NDMIS). He reiterated the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to inclusivity, equal opportunities, and ensuring that no Nigerian is left behind.
He commended the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), particularly its Planning, Research and Statistics Department, for organizing the strategic engagement aimed at enhancing disability data collection, coordination, and inclusive planning across MDAs.
According to him, one of the major challenges confronting disability inclusion in Nigeria is the absence of credible and disability-disaggregated data required for effective planning, budgeting, monitoring, and implementation of policies and programmes.
The presidential aide described the National Disability Management Information System as a strategic national framework designed to ensure that Persons with Disabilities are adequately represented in governance, education, healthcare, employment, social protection, humanitarian response, political participation, and economic empowerment programmes. He emphasized that without accurate data, the needs of Persons with Disabilities could remain invisible in national development processes.
Isa also highlighted ongoing advocacy efforts by his office toward promoting disability-inclusive governance and evidence-based policymaking through the integration of disability indicators into government programmes, improved accessibility in data systems, stronger inter-agency collaboration, and increased participation of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities in policy formulation and implementation.
He further recommended the adoption of uniform standards for disability data collection, regular capacity building, deployment of digital technologies, community-based data validation, and adequate funding to ensure sustainable disability data management.
In addition, he proposed closer collaboration between his office and the NCPWD through the establishment of a joint technical working group, periodic stakeholder engagements, integrated advocacy campaigns, and partnerships with development organizations and the National Bureau of Statistics.
He concluded by urging all MDAs to fully embrace disability inclusion within their institutional mandates and prioritize accurate, inclusive, and reliable data as a foundation for national development.
