Malumfashi School for the Deaf swept the inaugural Governor Dikko Radda Para-Games School Competition, carting off seven gold, seven silver and four bronze medals to claim the top spot among six special-needs schools that gathered at the School for the Blind in Katsina on Tuesday. Katsina School for the Blind and Deaf finished second with six gold, eight silver and nine bronze medals, while Community School for the Blind, Daura, took third place on three gold, one silver and one bronze. The winners received gold, silver and bronze trophies respectively, with the remaining contestants—School for the Deaf and Blind, Kofar Soro; Government College Katsina; and Katsina College Katsina—competing mainly in para-soccer.
Special Adviser to the President on people with special needs, Muhammad Abba, praised Katsina for pioneering the first tournament of its kind across the 19 northern states and noted that the state had already won the para-soccer title at the recent National Para-Games in Abuja. Representing Governor Radda, Sports Commissioner Surajo Abukur said the governor had mandated full inclusivity in sports to let every child contribute, using the platform to spot and groom future para-athletes while reducing stigma and fostering social acceptance.
Katsina's decision to stage a dedicated para-games for special-needs schools is less charity than shrewd politics: by handing the deaf pupils of Malumfashi the glittering gold trophy, Governor Radda buys early goodwill from an often-overlooked voting bloc while showcasing a progressive face to Abuja.
The subtext is budgetary. Para-sports cost a fraction of building mega-stadia yet yield powerful optics; Abuja's praise and the state's recent national para-soccer triumph signal that disability sport is becoming a low-risk, high-visibility line item for governors chasing legacy on the cheap.
For families of the 200-odd pupils who competed, the real prize is subtler: a state-issued certificate that might persuade a skeptical teacher or future employer that a blind or deaf child is more than a household burden. If the talent pipeline is real, some youngsters will ride on sports scholarships to Abuja or Lagos, escaping the Almajiri trap that claims many disabled youths up north.
Zoom out and the template is clear: as federal sports grants shrink, expect more governors to host small, inclusive games, mint new heroes, and quietly shelve the expensive infrastructure they promised on the campaign trail.
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