The wife of Anambra State Governor and founder of the NGO, Healthy Living with Nonye Soludo has announced that henceforth, the government will set up designated examination and interview centres for persons living with disabilities who are undertaking recruitment into the state’s civil service.
Mrs. Soludo disclosed this in Awka, the state capital while addressing people with visual impairments at an event to mark the 2023 White Cane Safety Day.
She explained that the action had become imperative because of the severe challenges faced by this group during recruitment processes.
She recounted the story of a visually impaired man who experienced hard time meeting up with the recruitment pressure during the last teachers’ enrollment largely because there were no special provisions for people with disability, and promised that such event will never happen again.
The governor’s wife while hailing the special talents of many people with disabilities, urged them to look beyond what people may see as shortcomings and invest their energy in doing extraordinary things with determination.
Speaking on the importance of the White Cane Campaign, Mrs. Soludo called for a change of mindset in the way people see the white cane and those who are using them.
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She emphasized that an important part of the mindset reset is for the society to understand that a person walking with a white cane needs assistance and not neglect.
Mrs. Soludo also called for development patterns that take into considerations the needs of persons living with disability, while pledging that the state government will continue to provide opportunities for people with disability to succeed.
Earlier, the Managing Director of Anambra State Signage and Advertisement Agency (ANSAA), Mr. Tony Ujubuonu, said that through her healthy living initiative, the governor’s wife has raised interest from even those with disability on the demands of right health.
He said that White Cane Campaign is the agency’s part of corporate social responsibilities, with instructive stands having been placed at strategic points around the state to educate people on the need to help visually impaired persons whenever they meet them.
The governor’s wife had earlier unveiled one of the instructive boards placed near Arroma Junction, Awka.
It read: “White cane campaign for the blind. Be my sight. Be my guide. If you see the cane, ask if I need help.”
The Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Sir Paul Nwosu, the Chairman of Anambra State Disability Rights Commission, Barrister Chuks Ezewuzie, who donated twenty-five white canes on behalf of the state government, the Anambra State Woman Leader of the AllProgressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Mrs Chinyere Onyekesi and her team, were at the event.
