Category: UPLIFTing The Physically Challenged

Wife of the Former Governor of Ogun State, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun has expressed her desire to support people living with disabilities in the state with the view to improving their standard of living and to alleviate the poverty level of the needy in the state. She said this while meeting with members of the Joint National Association of People Living with Disabilities (JONAD) at the Conference Hall in her office at the South-west Resource Centre, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta on the 2nd of August, 2012. Mrs. Amosun said the rationale behind the meeting was to identify the association, understand their needs and to know how she could assist the members, noting that the interest of physically challenged persons was paramount in the agenda of her husband, Senator Ibikunle Amosun-led administration. The wife of the former governor added that having the data base of members of the association would go a long way in the planning and implementation of programmes that would be of immense benefit to them, and that she would do everything within her reach to ensure that members were self-sufficient and self- reliant. Responding, JONAD President, Ogun State Chapter, Mr. Fasola Olusola noted that empowerment of members was of utmost importance to the association, thereby appealing to Mrs. Amosun to intervene in the affairs of people living with disabilities so as give them a new lease of live. He lauded the initiatives of Mrs. Amosun and the State Government for their different initiatives aimed at re-positioning Ogun State.

On the 6th of November 2012, Mrs. Amosun sent an open invitation out to needy physically challenged people from across State for an empowerment program. The Joint National Association of Persons with Disability, a registered association was contacted, and a general invitation was extended to other needy citizens with special needs within the State. Over 1000 people living with special needs who were in attendance benefited from the program and no one went home empty handed. The empowerment program really set out to abide by the UPLIFT Acronym – (Understand Peoples Limiting & Inhibiting Factors Today) on that particular day. The program commenced with an on the spot survey to establish each invitee’s special need and find out what particular empowerment scheme would be most beneficial to each person. The main empowerment tools were small scale business packages, such as recharge card kiosks, which consisted of tables, parasols, chairs and recharge cards for sale, or soft drink stands which consisted of tables, chairs, parasols, coolers and soft drink products, for some it was dry food sale stands which consists of parasol, chair, and fast turnover products like Mimee Noodle, Spaghetti, Indomie Noodles, Sugar, Salt, Maggie and so on. For those that had skills of trade, appropriate tools were given, tailors got sewing machines, barbers got clippers and hairdressers got dryers and other commercial tools. Where the needs were not fully comprehended, the JONAD Which consists of the deaf, dumb, lepers and crippled were given the sum of Two Million Naira (N2,000,000.00) to establish what form of empowerment would best suit these members and detailed reports and feedback were to be documented and submitted back to the UPLIFT Development Foundation on how the funds had been disbursed. Members that completely lacked mobility were provided with artificial limbs, wheelchairs, walkers or crutches as required to enable them to move around more easily. In support of this program, the Telegram Charity Foundation, a subsidiary of the Indomie group of companies, provided and fitted over 100 artificial limbs completely free of charge and were also on ground to measure and fit all limbs on the day and also offered gait training to all the beneficiaries at the event. They also donated several boxes of Indomie towards the empowerment business start up kiosks that were given out on the day. The representative of Chief Executive Officer of Tolaram Charity Foundation, Mrs. Neha Mehra who was present at the event, promised that her foundation would continue to partner with Uplift Development Foundation in this regard. The Former State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun FCA who had earlier supported the program by donating a brand new Toyota Hiace bus to Joint National Association of Persons with Disability (JONAD) to ease their movement, decided to put in a surprise appearance at the event to identify with the them and assure them of his administration’s commitment to the welfare of the people, particularly the people with special needs, noting that in spite of their special needs these people are blessed with one talent or the other,and could still contribute positively to the development of the state and the country at large when given assistance and provided with opportunities. The former governor said more projects and policies of interest would be initiated for people with special needs to benefit them, pointing out that a special passage route had been carved out of the newly constructed Ita-Eko/Sokori road in Abeokuta for them and more facilities would be designed throughout the state to ensure their safety.In her remark, the wife of the former state governor, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun said the empowerment program for the people with special needs was in continuation of the pursuit of the UPLIFT Development Foundation to compliment the efforts of the state government by striving to make all citizens self sufficient through dignified labour. Mrs. Amosun said that her office through the Uplift Development Foundation in collaboration with the Tolaram Charity Foundation would sustain the distributions of artificial limbs to the people with special needs to enhance their standard of living. An award of recognition was presented to Tolaram Charity Foundation for their selfless service to humanity through donation and fixing of artificial limbs. Mrs Amosun expressed immense gratitude to all partnering organisations for their support and kind gestures, expressing her readiness to partner with any company willing to assist her in uplifting living conditions of the less privileged within the state, whilst a special thanks was given to Mr Peter Emerokwam of Pekamol Ventures Nigeria Ltd.