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Persons With Disabilities In Bayelsa Lament Neglect, Discrimination

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The Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area chapter, Bayelsa State, has bemoaned their under-representation and neglect by leaders of the area and government at all levels.

They stated this when a delegation of JONAPWD in the area, led by its president, Salvation Enoch, visited Alagoa Morris, Head of the Environmental Rights Action Niger Delta Resource Centre in Yenagoa, the state capital, on Monday.

Enoch lamented that they had been denied access to their representatives in government, particularly in the executive and legislative arms where they had hoped to be given an audience to express themselves and state their challenges.

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He said, “If you look at the Southern Ijaw area, we are the most vulnerable people and we have not gotten the opportunity to speak on issues affecting us as persons with disabilities, especially the neglect that we have been facing.

READ ALSO: Kidnappers Abduct Passengers Of Two Abuja-bound Luxury Buses In Kogi

“Our leaders, from the local government to the state and federal levels; we are less represented in government and we don’t have free access to our representatives for them to understand that we are also existing as persons with disabilities and that our challenges are supposed to be looked into. It has been very challenging in our effort to have an audience with them.”

He said they had written several letters to various leaders and representatives but discovered that their letters were not usually delivered to them.

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While shedding light on the problems of JONAPWD members, Enoch said, “Many of us are less educated. We need JAMB forms and scholarships. We need walking and hearing aids, and magnifying glasses. We need skills acquisition.

“We also need empowerment, some of us have talents and are also good at bead-making, singing, and others. We need training programmes. We need employment chances. On World Disability Day, we are supposed to celebrate it but nothing happens. We need disability home/office in Southern Ijaw.”

READ ALSO: Scare As Dead Goose Found In Crashed

He also stated that they were suffering a great deal of discrimination and police brutality, and appealed to the ERA Niger Delta Resource Centre to “assist us to push our issues.”

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Responding, Alagoa Morris, a foremost environmental and community rights activist, called on the Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri and relevant government authorities to pay special attention to the physically challenged persons.

He urged the governor to extend his administration’s welfare scheme for the elderly to persons with disabilities as well so that they could also receive monthly stipends and have a sense of belonging in the state.

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Edo Govt Takes Custody Of 4-year-old Girl Used For Adult Content

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The Edo State Government has rescued the 4-year-old girl who was used for adult content by her father.

Recall that the police arrested the father of the minor in Auchi on Sunday, May 12, 2024, after her semi nude videos and photos sparked public outrage on social media.

Some images also showed the minor in revealing clothes while in the company of her father and some men in a hotel.

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READ ALSO: Edo: Man Arrested For Posting Obscene Photos Of 4-year-old Daughter Online

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Samuel Alli, confirmed the development in a post on the X platform on Monday, May 13.

“The child is now in our custody for proper medical examination and care. We will keep you updated on her welfare. Thank you all for your contributions to ensure our kids are safe and sound both in health and mind,” he wrote.

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Aid Reveals What Peter Obi Discussed With Atiku, Saraki, Lamido During Visits

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The reason behind the visit of 2023 presidential flagbearer of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi to top political figures such Atiku Abubakar, Bukola Saraki and Sule Lamido has been revealed.

Obi’s spokesperson, Dr Yunusa Tanko, said the visit was in line with the former Anambra governor’s commitment to the peace and progress of the nation.

DAILY POST reported that Obi in Abuja on Monday visited some top political figures, including former Vice President, and PDP presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President Bukola Saraki and the former Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido.

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“At the center of discussion during each of these visits was the state of the nation and how to reduce the suffering of all Nigerians irrespective of class and location,” Tanko said in the statement.

“In particular, the desperate condition of the downtrodden in our midst was highlighted.

“Of particular interest and emphasis in these discussions was the worrisome situation in the Northern parts of the country.”

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Gov Fubara Vows To Probe Wike

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Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara on Monday announced a plan by his administration to set up a panel to probe previous governments including the immediate past administration of Nyesom Wike.

Governor Fubara who has been in a face-off with Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, disclosed the plan after swearing in Dagogo Iboroma as the Attorney General of the state.

The governor expressed pessimism that the lingering political crisis currently rocking the state cannot be resolved anytime soon.

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Apparently referring to Wike, the governor accused his opponents of deliberately sabotaging his administration while he was hopeful that the issue in the state would be resolved amicably.

Governor Fubara vowed to make tough decisions moving forward no matter how they would be perceived by the public.

Fubara also responded to recent comments by former Attorney General Zacchaeus Adangor, SAN, and his counterpart in the Ministry of Works Alabo George-Kelly.

According to the governor, the former attorney general alongside other critics of his administration have been sabotaging the progress of his government by filing nolle prosequi against the interest of the state.

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