March 06, (THEWILL) – Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has called on religious organisations, well-meaning individuals and corporate bodies in the state to prioritise the welfare of persons with disabilities.
Obaseki made the appeal when he received the board and members of the Network for the Advancement of People with Visible Disability (NAPVID), who were on a courtesy visit at the Government House, in Benin City.
He noted, “I want to use this as an opportunity to call on Edo people, religious organisations and social clubs to have a very clear policy to support persons with disabilities. If you are in a club, group, society or organization and don’t have persons with disability in your gathering, try and make it a policy to attract them to be members of that gathering.
“It will create opportunities to know them more as well as understand their needs and challenges and equally provide support for them in line with our Making Edo Great Again (MEGA) agenda.
“We should reach out to more corporate bodies and individuals to contribute. We can show what you have gotten from what you are given and have bases to ask for more.”
“As a society, we should continue to support vulnerable people and those living with disability in our society. It should be a moral and divine commitment as these people need our collective responsibility to protect and support them,” he stated.
The governor commended the group for its transparency and accountability, adding, “What you have done this afternoon is what encourages people to do more. You have come to account transparently for what you have received from the government.
“This is the kind of conduct we want to encourage. I wish more Nigerians will behave this way to account for public resources given to them to work, as it will give one the justification to ask for more.”
He further said, “I really commend this group. You have started working with our Health Insurance Agency in enrolling your members into the State Health Insurance Scheme. I am aware that you have a database of persons with disabilities. We have also done enumeration with our ‘Data to MEGA’ project. We have data but will like to corroborate it with what you have and work together for our common good.
On efforts by the administration to improve the quality of education in the special schools in the state, Obaseki added, “We want to put in more resources to rehabilitate, restructure and improve the quality of education in our special schools. We will like to collaborate with the group in this area.”
Earlier, the Chairman Board Trustees, NAPVID, Hon. Justice Peter Isibor (retd.) thanked the governor for his support and the monthly subvention given to NAPVID.
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