Ambode Reiterates His Supports to Persons Living With Disabilities

Kehinde Lawal
Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has stated that in line with his ideology and promise he made, the state government would continue to support persons living with disabilities in the state.

He added that letters of employment to persons living with disabilities would be deployed to the State Civil Service as well as the local government areas and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) soon.

According to the governor, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Hon. Agboola Dabiri, at Olusoye Compensatory Centre in Lagos, the development was a major testament to demonstrate in practical terms his commitment to ensure an all-inclusive government and to empower persons living with disabilities to become wealth creators and employers of labour.

He said: “I am elated by the achievement of the Olusoye Compensatory Centre for Children with Special Needs since its establishment by Mrs. Ellen Caulcrick to serve as a vessel for the nurturing of the natural and acquired talents of children with special needs. The apparent attitude of the average person in our society to the plight of children with special needs in our society is that of apathy and neglect.

“The decision of Caulcrick to venture into the tenuous terrain of providing a platform that would nurture and offer vulnerable and neglected children essential things of life in regular schools and providing a natural home ambience is definitely commendable.
“Our focus is to move away from the previous charitable orientation of empowerment towards a more socially and economically oriented approach of enablement that will make people living with disabilities to become wealth creators and employers of labour.

“The Child Rights Law of Lagos State declares emphatically that every child has a right to education, healthcare, love and social security. This law stands as a strong pivot on which our children development programme rests.
“Our educational curriculum development takes into cognition that our children have needs that vary based on congenital conditions and we have provided facilities that would enhance the potential of identified children.

“I commend the vision of the founder of Olusoye Compensatory Centre for Children with Special Needs for keying into government initiative for the care and development of this category of children. A diamond will continue to be seen as just a piece of stone until it is polished to reveal its’ true worth and value in the society.”

Also speaking at the event, the Chairman, Board of Governors, Olusoye Compensatory Centre, Mrs. Adefemi Abeke, said the vision of helping persons living with disabilities came from the centre founder, Late Mrs. Ellen Caulcrick, at ilupeju with her retirement benefit after she left public service.

She added that Caulcrick had a great passion for the needy and the care for the disabilities in the society, stating that the she was able to acquire hectares of land in Oko osho area of Epe for the project.
“She has dreamt of acquiring hectares of lands to provide fully residential facilities for the needy, and eventually she got two and half hectares of land in Oke osho, Epe,” she added.

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