Facts that could make you cry...Governor Obiano is the number one disability inclusive governor in Nigeria and runs the most disability inclusive administration in history.
The Mahatma Gandhi of Indian said that the best way to assess the performance of the government is to look at how it treats the poor, the weak and vulnerable.
The disability community is a vulnerable group. Nobody loves and cares more for the Disability Community than His Excellency Akpokuodike Global, Agunechemba, Ogugua ndi Olusi.
* He is the first Governor to appoint a person with disability to the position of Senior Special Assistant, the highest political office for a person with disability since the creation of Anambra State.
* He also appointed the first visually impaired permanent secretary since the creation of Anambra State.
* He now has appointed over five Persons with Disabilities to senior positions in both political and Civil Service ranks
* He has given the deaf community a sense of belonging by appointing a Special Assistant on Sign Language Communication.
* He honoured athlete with disabilities, with monetary and professional encouragement, the first of its kind since the creation of Anambra State.
* He has employed many graduates with disabilities and is still employing other school leavers with Disabilities even in economic recession. Their employment is automatic.
Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the United States, October 26 1924 said “Nothing is finer than the open hand and the generous heart that’s prompt free and unselfish giving.
And modern social science knows also that ill directed charity is often directly responsible for encouragement of pauperism and mendicancy.
The best service we can do for the needy and the unfortunate is to help them in such manner that their self respect, their ability to help themselves, shall not be injured but augmented.
Nobody is necessarily out merely because he is down, but being down, nobody gets up again without honest effort of his own.
The best help... is that which induces everybody to help himself”.
Akpokuodike recognizes this and therefore continues to empower entrepreneurs with disabilities who are involved in private economic ventures for their families.
* Civil servants with disabilities are being promoted and paid as and when due.
* He donated his salary for the upkeep of Persons with Mental Disabilities institutionalized at Nteje, (when your alert rings at the end of the month His Excellency's alert rings at Nteje).
He funds and maintains two vocational rehabilitation centers at Aguleri and Oba respectively with a plan to establish another one in Nawfija for Anambra south.
* He transformed Basden Memorial special Education center Isulo from dilapidation to world class facility.
He raised the feeding allowance of the student from fifty thousand to five hundred thousand.
* He reaffirmed free education at all academic levels for students with Disabilities of Anambra State Origin.
* In his Third Year in office, He directed that all project executed in Anambra State be made handicap accessible.
* With his encouragement, His Wife, Osodieme,(Mama PC), has through her CAFE NGO provided artificial limbs for over a thousand three hundred Ndi Anambra with Physical Challenges, built homes for widows and elderly, provided public conveniences for Communities and received the title “WASH ambassador”.
* Akpokuodike has done and enabled the doing of these and more. His commitment to disability inclusiveness prompted him to sponsor his SSA to the United Nations Conference on disability inclusiveness held in June 2017, he has directed that all project executed in Anambra state be handicap accessible and involved.
Nobody is more disability conscious, inclusive and responsive.
Willie is willingly working and Disability constituency is happy. That’s why they want Willie, the Governor, for four more years.
Chukwuka Betrand Ezewuzie
SSA on Disability Matters
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