Prof. Chigozie Ogbu, Vice Chancellor of Ebonyi State University (EBSU), has announced the establishment of a Special Education department for the blind, deaf and dumb students to further their education.
He said this at St. Paul Catholic Church in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, while congratulating members of the Nigeria Physically Challenged People’s Assembly (NPCPA) on selecting him as one of its national patrons.
According to him, the department was founded to help these people improve their lives, and the institution just admitted one individual in a wheelchair.
He went on to say that the two hired sign language interpreters were already training others and that engineers had been instructed to make the department easily accessible for the people in wheelchairs.
“JAMB can be written with Braille and EBSU is making arrangements for more Braille machines, this is why I am advising some of them with O’ Level results to strive for more education or think about how they can make it on their own before requesting for support from other people,” he said.
The VC promised to constantly help the people and added that they shouldn’t feel rejected because nobody on earth is immune to disability.
The NPCPA’s president, Mr. Joseph Enyi, urged the creation of skill-acquisition centres for its members, stating that the organisation was founded to provide accommodations for other disabled people who were not engaged in meaningful work.
“If my members can be trained in shoemaking, sewing, computer and other skills, the act of indolence will no longer be found among us.
“With the skills, in collaboration with empowerment, my people will be taken out of the streets and made to be useful to the society,” he said.
He complimented the VC for the accomplishments the university has achieved thus far and praised him for his vision for EBSU’s disabled population.