Education
THE Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Florence Obi, has advocated special care, acceptance and attention for persons with special needs in the country.
Prof. Obi, who stated this on Friday in Calabar, when members of the Albinism Society of Nigeria, Cross River Chapter, paid her a courtesy call in her office, added that she was passionate about helping people with special needs.
The VC said that people with special needs occupied a ‘special place in her heart, assuring that, as Professor of Special Needs Education, she would stop at nothing to project and protect their interest.
“As a friend of persons with special needs, I am a professional in that field and that is the reason why I will create awareness of the existence of persons with special needs and make sure they are accepted in the society.
”Due to the special place you occupy in my heart, my inaugural lecture topic was ‘inclusiveness’ which means that everybody must be carried along despite circumstances of birth, race and colour,” she said.
While describing them as an integral part of the society, she urged them to embark on aggressive sensitisation and advocacy campaigns in urban and rural areas.
She stressed that the campaign should enlighten the populace on their strengths and capabilities to ensure that they take pride in their place in the society.
Obi disclosed that a disability policy for the university has been sent to the university’s senate for approval, adding that, the policy spells out all that the institution needs to do in taking care of people that are special in different ways.
Prof. Obi also informed them of the “Vice Chancellor’s scholarship programme”
which will commencing in 2023 for best academic performance and urged them to key into the initiative.
Earlier, Mr Bassey Mbang, Coordinator of the Albinism Society in Nigeria, Cross River Chapter, commended the VC for exhibiting a high sense of commitment, dedication and discipline in the discharge of her duties.
Mbang said that during the VC’s inaugural lecture, the association was thrilled and full of joy when she presented herself as a friend and lover of persons with special needs in the society.
According to Mbang Albinism is a genetic disorder that causes a decrease in the production of a pigment called melanin in the skin, hair and eyes, resulting in a light colour.
He said that people with Albinism are often faced with restriction, stigmatization, discrimination, misunderstanding from their communities and persecution.
He revealed that attacks against people with Albinism have been reported in the country while bullying and name-calling as ‘white he goat” were very common for children with Albinism.
To stem the ugly developments, Mbang called for the support and collaboration of relevant stakeholders including the institution.
He, however, used the opportunity to appealed for the speedy implementation of the People with Disability Law, which grants access to employment opportunities for those with Albinism.
He appealed for scholarships, donations of umbrellas, hats, sunscreen creams, and sunshades for children with Albinism, especially those in schools. (NAN)
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Tags: Prof. Florence Obi University of Calabar
