The wife of the Governor of Abia state, Mrs. Priscilla Otti has handed out over 50 white canes to the visually impaired in the state to commemorate the white cane safety day.
Handing over the white canes in collaboration with the National Association of the Blind to persons with vision impairment at the Abia state government house today, Mrs. Otti said that these canes are not mere objects but a symbol of independent and liberation.
“It embodies resilience and determination to those who utilize them to navigate a world that often remain hidden to them”
The Governor’s wife also assures the visually impaired that the administration of Governor Otti through the office of the vulnerable groups and poverty alleviation pledges to create an all-encompassing and accessible environment that enables everyone to realize their full potential, irrespective of their disability.
However, she call on road users to remove every barriers that will impede the navigation of the blind and appealed to the general public to guide and be the eye through which the visually impaired sees the environment.
In their remarks, while the Special Adviser to the Governor on Vulnerable Groups and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Ifeoma Thomas, said that the state government is poised to give everyone a sense of belonging, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Special Duties, Dr. Betty Emeka Obasi encouraged those with vision impairment to visit the hospital for a test so that those not totally blind can have access to vision binoculars.
However, the commissioner for health, Dr. Ngozi Okoronkwo said that Governor Otti has demonstrated his willingness to provide quality health care services to Abians.
According to her, ” the handing out of these white canes to the visually impaired is an emotional stage for me so I advise those who are experiencing one form of eye defects or another to visit the hospital to care for their eye before it reaches the stage of total blindness “she said.
Earlier the Special Assistant to the Governor on people living with disabilities, Mr. David Anyaele, expressed his excitement to the willingness of the state government to carry them along.
He said that the white cane hand out to the visually impaired today by the wife of the Governor has demonstrated the Governor’s commitment to give them a sense of belonging because he deemed it feat that all lives matters.
