FNSB seeks support to keep blind school running

The Executive Council of the Federal Nigeria Society for the Blind (FNSB), Oshodi, Lagos State, has called for financial support for people living with disabilities. It made the call at its 60th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Lagos at the weekend.

Chairman of the council, Asiwaju Fola Osibo, said: “2017 ended with a deficit of N4,421,511 even though measures were put in place to cut down on costs, but effects of inflation in double digits continue to impact adversely on the cost of running the vocational training centre.”

While appreciating the Lagos State government for supporting the centre, he said the running cost of training a student in a year is N750,000 and though the council had reviewed its school fees upward from N50,000 to N150,000 per annum, the balance of N600,000 for each student will need to be sourced by the society.

General Manager, Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA), Dr. Awelenje Babatunde, noted that “the issue of disability is complex, dynamic and multi dimensional; Lagos State government has taken the bull by the horn with the enactment of the Lagos State Special People’s law and also the establishment of an office saddled with the responsibility of enforcing the law.

He added that there was need for the establishment of a disability office at the national level. “I believe the present administration is working to ensure the passage of the law because there are some policies on issues with persons living with disability that can only be tackled at the national level,” he said.