Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has urged religious groups, individuals and businesses in the state to care more for the disabled people in their communities.
He made this plea when he hosted the board and members of the Network for the Advancement of People with Visible Disability (NAPVID) at the Government House, in Benin City.
He said, “I want to seize this opportunity to appeal to Edo people, religious bodies and social clubs to adopt a clear policy to support persons with disabilities. If you belong to any club, group, society or organization that does not have persons with disability among them, try and make it a policy to invite them to join your group.
“This will create opportunities to know them better and to understand their needs and challenges and to offer them support in line with our Making Edo Great Again (MEGA) agenda.
“We should also reach out to more businesses and individuals to donate. We can show them what we have done with what they have given us and have reasons to ask for more.”
“As a society, we should not neglect the vulnerable and the disabled in our midst. It should be our moral and spiritual duty to protect and support them,” he said.
The governor praised the group for its honesty and accountability, saying, “What you have done today is what motivates people to do more. You have come to report transparently on what you have received from the government.
“This is the kind of behaviour we want to promote. I wish more Nigerians would act this way and account for public funds given to them to work, as it will give them the right to ask for more.”
He also said, “I really appreciate this group. You have started working with our Health Insurance Agency to enroll your members into the State Health Insurance Scheme. I know that you have a database of persons with disabilities. We have also done a census with our ‘Data to MEGA’ project. We have data but we want to verify it with yours and work together for our common good.
On his plans to improve the quality of education in the special schools in the state, Obaseki said, “We want to invest more resources to renovate, reorganize and enhance the quality of education in our special schools. We want to partner with the group in this area.”
The Chairman Board Trustees of NAPVID, Hon. Justice Peter Isibor (rtd) thanked the governor for his support and the monthly allowance given to NAPVID.
