Ekiti state government has inaugurated a Therapy Centre for the strong use of Children with Disabilities in the state.
The Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji has noted that his administration will continue to prioritize the welfare and wellbeing of People with Disabilities by providing comfortable environment for them to survive irrespective of their circumstances.
The state governor, made the commitment while revealing the state’s first therapy Centre for Children with Disabilities built through partnership with Premium Trust Bank.
Oyebanji emphasized that he would not relent in his drive to ensure social inclusion for everyone living with one form of disability or the other until they are reunited with the mainstream society, adding that the multi-sensory and therapy centre was tailored to meet the diverse needs of the children with disabilities noting that his primary desire is to see the children achieve their potentials like their peers and develop into independent adults who can fend for themselves as well as contribute their quota to the development of the society.
He also revealed that in the drive to reposition the sector for effective service delivery, his administration has employed speech therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists at the public special schools to ensure that the children receive specialized care necessary for their development and then gifted the centre a bus to ease transportation of the disabled the in centre.
Oyebanji stated “Recently, we saw a boy who used to be on one side crutches walking unaided for the first time due to therapeutic intervention. This brought tears to my eyes and it reassured me that with more support for the children and modern equipment for their schools and centre, they would be able to live a better live.
“Today, we take a monumental step forward by commissioning this public therapy facility which will provide essential speech, occupational and physiotherapy services to those children who cannot attend school due to the severity of their conditions. Some of these children have become burdens to their parents and the traditional schools reject them and some just need this therapy to advance in life.
“Whatever the children’s situation are, as a state we are committed to supporting them, they are our children, created by God and we will never live them to suffer through life.
“This event also marks a significant milestone in our journey towards creating an inclusive society where every child, regardless of his abilities have the opportunity to thrive. As we gather to commission this public therapy facility for children with critical disabilities, I am deeply honoured and filled with hope for the future that lie ahead for these remarkable children.
“This project is made possible through the collaborative efforts of our administration and our generous partner, Premium Trust Bank led by a compassionate gentleman, Mr Emmanuel Emefienim, his commitment to community welfare aligns seamlessly with our vision of inclusivity, we have formed a partnership to bring this facility to life and embody a share dedication to empowering our most vulnerable citizens.
“Over the past two years, our administration has tirelessly focus on enhancing the lives of individuals with disabilities, we have launched several initiatives. Some of the initiatives include adaptive rooms initiative where the children can learn using multi-sensory materials and therapy rooms across the three special schools, it is the first of its kind in any public school in Nigeria.”.
