FCT stakeholders call for disability-inclusive healthcare and women's welfare reforms

The Deaf Women Aloud Initiative (DWAI) has called on the six Area Councils within Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to establish dedicated budget lines for disability-inclusive healthcare. A baseline assessment by DWAI revealed that none of the assessed councils currently have a specific budget line for disability inclusion, with 60 per cent lacking any specific budget lines for disability. Stakeholders are urging the integration of these needs into the 2027 health budgets to move beyond charitable donations toward sustainable public healthcare planning.

In response, the FCT Primary Health Care Board has begun discussions regarding training frontline workers in sign language and disability-sensitive service delivery. Officials emphasized that healthcare access for persons with disabilities should be treated as a right rather than charity.

Separately, Princess Hauwa Philip Aduda has outlined a seven-point legislative agenda aimed at improving the welfare of women and girls in the FCT ahead of the 2027 general elections. The proposed priorities under the All Progressives Congress (APC) include skills development, economic empowerment, maternal and community healthcare, protection from gender-based violence, and increased representation in leadership.