Ekiti State government has presented 100 tricycle wheelchairs donated by a Jos-based Non-Governmental Organization, NGO, Beautiful Gate, to Persons with Disabilities, PWDs, in the state as part of efforts to improve their mobility, promote inclusion and enhance their independence.
Speaking while presenting the wheelchairs to the beneficiaries at the Ekiti State Skill Acquisition Center in Ado Ekiti, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Education and Social Inclusion, Princess Adetoun Agboola, expressed the appreciation of Ekiti State government to the Beautiful Gate NGO for the donation, describing the gesture as a demonstration of commitment to improving the welfare and wellbeing of Persons with disabilities across the country.
Princess Agboola added that Governor Biodun Oyebanji has accorded the welfare of persons with disabilities top priority since his inception in office.
She maintained that the governor had redeemed the dignity of the PWDs in Ekiti State, stressing that the era when people living with disabilities being regarded as incapable of achieving meaningful goals or occupying important positions in society had become a thing of the past, as the Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji administration had continued to create opportunities for them to realize their potentials and contribute meaningful to the development of the state.
She said that the administration was the first to provide dedicated free medical care for the persons with disabilities in the state, adding that the governor had consistently celebrated his birthdays with them as a demonstration of his love, commitment and concern for their welfare.
Highlighting the governor’s intervention in the disability sector, Princess Agboola said government had trained and empowered over 300 PWDs, distributed over 3000 wheelchairs, donated musical studio to school of the blind in Ikere and provided free meals, among others.
While urging the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the wheelchairs, the Special Adviser expressed optimism that the donation would ease their mobility challenges, enhance their independence and enable them to engage more actively in their daily activities.
Earlier in his remarks, the chairman of Beautiful Gate Handicap People’s Center, represented by the Media Director, Mrs. Sandra Yilgwa, said the humanitarian intervention was designed to complement government’s efforts in addressing the mobility and other challenges confronting persons with disabilities across the country.
While disclosing that each wheelchair cost about N170,000 to produce, Yilgwa said that the organisation had set a target of distributing 43,000 units across the country to improve the lives of persons with disabilities, adding that the centre was encouraged to extend the initiative to Ekiti State by various interventions and efforts of Governor Oyebanji towards improving the welfare of PWDs.
Also in their remarks, the two former NYSC Corps members who facilitated the initiatives for the state, said they were inspired by the efforts of Governor Oyebanji to improve the fortune and living conditions of PWDs in the state, prompting their decision to contribute their quota by facilitating the partnership between the state government and Beautiful Gate NGO to provide mobility for the beneficiaries.
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