By our Correspondent
With deep sense of compassion and love for the less priviledged in the society, the Accountant General, A-G, of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Uwem Andrew-Essien, has taken up the training of one Success Idongesit Johnson, a physically – challenged nine – year – old boy with hearing and speech impairments.
The boy, who our Correspondent gathered, never had any form of formal education due to his peculiar challenge, coupled with financial constraints faced by his mother, is an indigene of Oruk Anam Local Government Area of the state.
The A-G, who doubles as the Permanent Secretary, announced the offer when he received a delegation of Persons With Disabilities, PWDs, led by the Personal Assistant, PA, to Governor Umo Eno, on Persons with Disability Matters, Comrade Ubong Imo Ikpe, who were on a courtesy visit to the A-G in his office at the Idongesit Nkanga civil service secretariat, Uyo, the state capital.
Pastor Andrew-Essien, therefore, directed the Governor’s Aide, to liaise with his office, to ensure that the boy is enrolled in school during the coming academic session, assuring that he would train the boy through in school, and congratulated him on his appointment, advising him to see the position as a call to service.
He said: “This is the first time the state is creating an office for persons with disabilities, I am praying that subsequent administrations will build on this, and I want you to see your appointment as a call to service.”
However, Comrade Ikpe, in his response said they were in the office of the A -G, to seek collaboration with him to facilitate the education and wellbeing of persons with disabilities, and expressed gratitude to Governor Eno, for appointing him as one of his Aides on persons barely a month of his assumption of office, noting that, “the gesture is unprecedented in the history of the state, and a testament to the value the Governor places on persons with disabilities.”
“By my appointment, discrimination and segregation suffered by persons with disabilities in assessing government activities, programmes and policies will become a thing of the past,” he stressed.
Speaking on his encounter with the boy, the Governor’s Aide recalled that “I came in contact with Master Success Idongesit Johnson, the hearing and speech impaired boy during my visit to Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua,” lamenting that though he was intelligent, but was at home due to the fact that, his poor single mother, could not afford his tuition fees in a Special School and thanked the A- G for taking up the training of Master Success.
