The Nation Newspaper

Tag: challenged

  • Shuga limb foundation fetes physically challenged

    IN partnership with Nigeria-Britain Association and British Airways and in line with its tradition of charity and support for the less privileged, especially the physically challenged, Shuga Limb Foundation has put smiles on the faces of 70 physically challenged children across seven homes.

    The excited children took part in games such as train ride; volley ball, horse rides, and special games for the physically challenged were setup at Ikeja Saddle Club, Lagos, venue of the event. Asides a quiz competition, Akin Shuga solely sponsored a music competition among the homes, with the theme Soar Higher. The Home with the most creative song was given cash prize of N20, 000.00 and a deal to record the song. Center for Destitute Empowerment won the category.

    Shuga Limb Foundation also donated a wheelchair to the home that won the quiz competition, other fabulous prices were won. Supporting this year’s event are were Saddle Club, Tent Event, Blue World, Shuga Band, Sound Pro and Promasidor.

    Akinloye Tofowomo, President of Shuga Limb Foundation, popularly known as Shuga says; “The objective of the celebration is to create an ambience of fun; excitement and education for physically challenged children and boost their self-esteem and confidence. I want them to see beyond now and live excitedly with hope that tomorrow will be good”.

    Akin Shuga as he’s fondly called overcame physical disability occasioned by polio as a child to become founder and leader of one the most popular musical band in Nigeria.

  • Amaechi fetes physically challenged

    Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has said his administration will build a special school for the physically challenged.

    The Amaechi administration, according to the Commissioner for Education, Dame Alice Nemi, would build the special school to give the physically challenged hope and provide special opportunity for them to learn.

    At the end of inspection of the land for the school, which lies between Kpondo and Aluu in Ikwerre Local Government Area, Nemi and her Social Welfare and Rehabilitation counterpart, Joe Poroma, spoke on the effort by the Amaechi administration to fulfill its dream of building a special school for the physically challenged.

    Mrs. Nemi said: “Let me thank Governor Rotimi Amaechi for giving hope to the physically challenged.

    “I am glad that my colleague and I are here today. Amaechi’s vision for the physically challenged in the state is now a reality.”

    Poroma said: “It’s a great day in the lives of those that are physically challenged in our state. It has always been the dream of this administration to come up with a dream home, as you may as well call it school for those that are physically challenged in the state.

    “Today is a new beginning; we’ve come here to inspect the land and I promise everybody in this state that by the time this administration comes to an end there’s going to be a befitting school for those that are physically challenged.”

  • Group lifts the mentally-challenged

    In a bid to address the neglect and stigmatisation often faced by the mentally impaired,a group,Oshodi Noble Herita has donated food items and toiletries to the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Oshodi, Lagos.

    The gesture according to the Coordinator of the group, Mr Hakeem Ishola, is to give the mentally challenged a sense of belonging and hope.

    “It is one of our cardinal aims and objectives as an organisation; aside from the fact that we are involved in issues such as environmental, health enlightenment and youth empowerment through vocational training, we also pay humanitarian visits. We thought that it is one of our responsibilities to reach out to some of our brethren who are here and other places like the blind centre , we have been doing it every now and then and that is why we have come here to donate food items and toiletries and other items that will be useful to them,” he said.

    Ishola said his organisation was received warmly by the management of the hospital.

    “We are very happy that we were received very warmly by the consultant in charge of this facility and the chief nursing officer and all other staff members,” he said.

    He urged other community organisations in the country to always show love to the less privileged and give helping hands to them from time to time.

    “We brought items like semovita, soaps, noodles and others, we are community based organisation. We don’t write letter to any corporate body but we raise the funds within ourselves,”

    The Consultant Psychiatric of the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Oshodi annex Dr Olufunmilayo Akinola, appreciated the gesture of the group.

    She said the group has donated food items and toiletries to the hospital.

    “The organisation is fantastic, I think this is not the first time they will be coming here, it is their third time to come and give us gifts, they are a community organisation in Oshodi and that is why the government, so they have been fantastic. They donated gifts and the other important and wonderful thing the organisation does is that they give health talk, once a while. They call us to come and give talk on health issues, so it has been wonderful working with them,” She said.

    “They should emulate Oshodi Noble Heritage, because what they are doing is very fantastic, what community is all about is to help one another,” she advised

    Dr Akionla thanked the government for prompt response to their demands in the provision of needed materials for the use of the patients in the hospital but she still appealed that the government should do more and urged community based organisations to come to the assistance of the hospital.

    “In terms of materials needed the government is trying, we give the patient free drugs; but the government can still do more, we also need the help of other community organisations to come to the aid of the hospital,” she said.

     

  • Dankwambo’s wife counsels the physically challenged

    The wife of Gombe State Governor, Hajiya Adama Dankwambo, has urged orphans, vulnerable and the physically challenged children to be hopeful in life in spite of their conditions.

    In a message to a party organised for the children, Dankwambo also enjoined them to be committed to whatever they did to excel. Represented by Mrs Sintiki Rubainu, the wife of the Deputy Governor, Dankwambo said that the party was organised for the children to have a sense of belonging.

    She called on the children to study hard in schools and achieve their goals, adding that their condition should not discourage them. “You can still excel with your disability, do not be discouraged, you can make it in life like any other child,” she said. In her speech, Hajiya Fatima Abubakar, the state Commissioner, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, said the party was the first of its kind in the state. She said that previous administrations in the state did not give special attention to such group of children and commended the Dankwanbo for the gesture. Hajiya Hauwa Musa, Special Assistant to the governor’s wife on special matters, said that Dankwambo decided to invite the children to show them love. “These children, if properly trained, can do better than the able ones,” she said. The chairman, People Living With Disability, Gombe state, Alhaji Ali Goro, commended Dankwambo for the gesture. “This is the first of its kind since the creation of Gombe state. Dancing competition, riddles and jokes featured during the party. Similarly, school bags containing exercise books, mathematical set, writing materials, among others were distributed to the children. About 350 orphans, vulnerable and physically challenged children attended the party.