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Why Bayelsa Disabled Persons Donโt Engage In Street Begging โ Sylvaโs Aide
By Osa Okhomina,Yenagoa
Aide to Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa State , Miss Ziriki Timipiri Godswill, weekend explained why physically-challenged persons in the state refuse street begging, saying the administration was committed to the empowerment and engagement of such persons.
Miss Godswill said that though there was much to be done to sustain policies for the disabled, she expressed happiness that the state government programme had received the commendation of the Federal Government and attributed the positive show of activities by persons with disability to the creation of her office by Governor Timipre Sylva.
Miss Timipiri Godswill, who is also the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Bayelsa Governor on Matters Relating to Disabled Persons, said the plans for such persons will be fully achieved and that the Governor had shown compassion and treated them like others and approved a Paralympics Sports festival in the state next year.
She noted that sports festival, as proposed by the governor, is meant to engage the disabled youths and bring out their potentials.
โWe are expecting more good things from the government and the physically-challenged people should not allow their condition to constrain them but should show extra might for greatness.
โIn Bayelsa, we don't have the physically-challenged begging on the street".
Also, hundreds of youths living with disability have commended the governor and the Federal Government for the implementation of policies that has kept them off the streets and discouraged begging in any form, asking governors to initiate policies that will promote jobs and political participation for disabled persons.
In her speech to the disabled read at the 2009 International Day for Disabled Persons,the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Salamatu Hussein Suleiman, had expressed concern over the rising incidence of street begging among physically-challenged people in most parts of the country, asking states to initiate Disability-friendly policies of empowerment and engagement of disabled persons.
The minister, who was represented by Mrs. Endurance Egbe, said though the Federal Government had initiated programmes to uplift disabled persons out of begging, visit to most parts of Bayelsa State showed a non-existent begging and commended the state government and the disabled persons for their creativity and engagement in positive ventures.
Additional Information
Country: Nigeria
Website: http://leadershipnigeria.com/index.php/news/headlines/9688-why-bayelsa-disabled-persons-dont-engage-in-street-begging--sylvas-aide
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Source: Mail from: MORI Soya
When: 17/12/2009
