President, Wonder Life Mental Rehabilitation Centre, Ikot Afaga, Oruk Anam local government area of Akwa Ibom State, Rev Godwin Udofa has urged governor Umo Eno to remember the mentally challenged persons while distributing palliative for fuel subsidy removal in the State.
Udofa who made the appeal during an advocacy visit on leadership of Centre for Human Rights Accountability Network (CHRAN) in Uyo on Saturday explained that the mentally challenged are the most vulnerable in the society and needed to be included in the welfare of the state.
He also called on the state government to assist in rehabilitating the center as well as the mentally challenged saying that his ministry has been able to rehabilitate Seven Hundred and Sixty (760) persons and reintegrated them back into the society within its 28 years of operation in the state.
While urging the present government to partner with the center under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, he recalled that the immediate past governor made attempt to rehabilitate the center by building a Psychiatric clinic for them, though not equipped and was bringing food daily to the patients till his exit and urged the present governor to sustain it.
According to him, “we want the government to come to the help of mentally challenged in Akwa Ibom state. The upsurge, nuisance, stigmatization is much. We’ve been able to rehabilitate 760 mentally challenged in Akwa Ibom and Cameroun for the past 28 years.
“Presently we have about 27 patients at the center and times are very difficult. We want the Akwa Ibom State government to at least include the mentally challenged person in the current distribution of palliative.
“We want them to look at our efforts because government alone cannot cater for mad people in the state. We want the clinic built by the past government to be equipped so that proper medical attention will be given to these people to complement with the spiritual work we are doing. We also call on the State House of Assembly to make a legislation defending the rights of the mentally challenged.
“Our target is by 2035, you will not see the mentally challenged roaming round the street.
Responding, the State chairman of CHRAN, Otuekong Franklyn Isong appealed to Governor Umo Eno whose blueprint (ARISE Agenda) covers every strata of the society including the mentally challenged come to their aid.
Isong who is a member of the palliative distribution committee stated that the center needed not just the ongoing palliative but should be incorporated into the welfare scheme of the government and encouraged the Director of the center to profile the mentally deranged in his facility in order to ascertain their state of origin.
“I’m happy that the governor said the palliative is for the poorest of the poor and the first poorest of the poor is the mentally challenged persons, those who don’t have the privilege to work and fend for themselves. Your center should be considered as the poorest of the poor to be visited.” He added
