Government has been called upon to show care and support for persons living with disabilities, as well as ensure that they do all that is required to make the people an integral and active part of the society. The charge was given by Mr. Anthony Obi, Administrative Director of Archbishop Aggey Foundation, Nigeria, on Saturday, December 3, 2022 when the foundation held a breakfast outreach with the hearing impaired at Christian Mission for the Deaf Church, Akpata, Somolu, Lagos. Disclosing that the breakfast outreach was held to mark International Day for Persons Living with Disabilities (PLWD), which was celebrated globally on December 3, and the 50th memorial anniversary of Archbishop JKA Aggey, Obi stated that the late Archbishop Aggey while he was alive enjoyed spending time with Persons Living with Disabilities. He said: “The board in honour of Baba decided to do a breakfast outreach with members of this church. Do you know that some persons travel as far as Ibadan in Oyo State and all the environs in Lagos as far as Badagry, Agege to come and worship God here in Akpata? “What we did is to come and encourage them because today in the Catholic Church, the 2nd reading of the day states that God assists those who do not give up in helping others. So, we are here to encourage them for coming from such long distance to worship God. We are encouraging those early comers to keep coming, and that one day, God will grant their hearts’ request.”
He said about 500 persons come to worship at the church every week, but they have decided to celebrate with 120 early comers. He disclosed that the people need laptop, projector, hearing aid, phone, software and other things that will aid their communication which they will present to the foundation’s board to see how they can be of use to the community. On the role of government regarding persons living with disabilities, he said: “Our country is so special that nobody can say we have enough from our government. That is why Archbishop Aggey Foundation decided to go all out to let these people know that we love them, we care for them and we want them to be inclusive in society. We are appealing to the government to do more. Whatever they have been doing as regards persons living with disabilities; they need to do more.” On support of other NGOs for people living with disabilities, he said many NGOs in Nigeria are doing their own bit. He added that one of the problems of NGOs is funding. “If we have the funding, we will do more. With the little we have, let us do what we can do”, he said. He appealed to well-meaning Nigerians to keep supporting the NGOs because they are doing meaningful things. “We in Archbishop Aggey are telling everyone in Nigeria, in the world that we need their support. We will do more if we have resources”, he said. Archbishop Aggey Foundation was set up in honour of Most Rev. (Dr.) John Kwame Aggey, first indigenous Catholic Archbishop of Lagos who lived from 1908 to 1972. About a 100 early comers took part in the breakfast outreach.
