27/06/2026
WHEN THE WORLD IS SILENT AND DARK: GSCPWD BRINGS HOPE TO SADIQ ON INTERNATIONAL DAY OF DEAFBLINDNESS 2026
As the world commemorates the 2026 International Day of Deafblindness, the Gombe State Commission for Persons with Disabilities, under the leadership of its Executive Chairman Adamu Ishaq, paid a compassionate visit to the family of 13-year-old Abubakar Sadiq, a child living with deafblindness in Gombe State.
Sadiq’s story is deeply touching.
According to his parents, Malam Dahiru and his wife, Sadiq was born healthy and active. However, at the tender age of four, after a severe fever, he lost both his sight and hearing. Since then, his family has made several efforts to seek medical and other forms of support, but sadly, the situation has remained very difficult.
For years, Sadiq has lived in a world where he cannot see the faces of those who love him and cannot hear the voices calling his name. He cannot easily understand people around him, and people around him cannot easily understand him. Because of this communication barrier and prolonged isolation, he has developed emotional and behavioural challenges that his family, especially his mother, manages every day with patience, pain, love and sacrifice.
His mother shared how she stays with him almost 24 hours daily, constantly watching over him, calming him, protecting him and trying to understand his needs without words, sound or eye contact. It is a situation that reminds us that deafblindness is not just a disability; it is a life of deep communication barriers when the right support is not available.
During the visit, the Executive Chairman of the Gombe State Commission for Persons with Disabilities described Sadiq’s situation as empathetic and serious, but also made it clear that all hope is not lost.
He assured the family that deafblind persons can be trained, educated, supported and empowered to live meaningful and productive lives when they receive the right intervention, communication support, rehabilitation, counselling and family guidance.
According to him, the visit was not only to commemorate the International Day of Deafblindness, but also to assess Sadiq’s condition, understand the experience of the family, and begin the process of working with them toward improving Sadiq’s quality of life.
The Chairman commended Sadiq’s parents for their patience, sacrifice and commitment. He encouraged them to remain hopeful, assuring them that the Commission will support Sadiq and other children with similar conditions across the state.
This year’s theme, “Connected by Touch: Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges,” reminds us that for many deafblind persons, touch becomes a powerful bridge to communication, learning, love, dignity and inclusion.
Deafblindness exists.
Beyond the disability types many people are familiar with, such as blindness, deafness, physical disability, spinal cord injury, persons affected by leprosy and other forms of disability, there are also persons who are both deaf and blind. They are among the most invisible and marginalised groups, even within the disability community.
This is why the establishment of the Gombe State Commission for Persons with Disabilities by His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, CON, remains a major demonstration of political will, compassion and commitment to inclusive governance.
Through this Commission, the Gombe State Government is reaching people who were previously unseen, unheard and unsupported. The case of Sadiq clearly shows why such an institution is important: to identify, support and include persons with disabilities, especially those with severe and less understood conditions like deafblindness.
The Commission uses this occasion to call on families, communities, religious leaders, traditional leaders, health workers and the general public to understand that deafblindness is real. Families caring for deafblind persons should not hide them, neglect them or lose hope. They should reach out for counselling, assessment and support.
To every family in Gombe State with a child or person who is deafblind: you are not alone.
The Government of Gombe State, under the leadership of His Excellency, Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, stands with you. The Gombe State Commission for Persons with Disabilities stands with you. The people of Gombe State stand with you.
With love, patience, early intervention, communication support, rehabilitation and inclusive services, persons with deafblindness can learn, communicate, grow and live with dignity.
Let us break the silence. Let us open the darkness. Let us build a Gombe State where no person with disability is left behind.
