Navy Officer Builds Hostel For Handicapped Children In Kano

The Nigerian Navy has commissioned a newly constructed hostel block of four rooms for handicapped children in the Tudun Maliki Area of Kano State.

The hostel project, which features a matron’s room and a solar borehole, was commissioned by the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, in the state.

The project, sponsored by an indigene of Tudun Maliki and a senior research fellow at the Nigerian Army Heritage Center, Abuja, Rear Admiral Idi Abbas, was approved under the CNS Special Intervention Quick Impact Project Scheme launched in 2024.

The initiative aims to facilitate the Navy’s Civil-Military cooperation mandate and foster security development, particularly in Kano, where the Navy has its Logistics School at Dawakin Tofa.

Speaking at the event, Governor Abba Yusuf, the special guest of honour, noted that people with disabilities (PwD), including handicapped children, should have the right to access quality education to develop their skills, achieve their full potential, and participate in society.

“Unfortunately, children with disabilities are often overlooked in education policy, which limits their access to education and their ability to participate in society,” the governor, represented by the State’s Director General, Special Services Government House, Air Vice Marshal Umar Idris, said.

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), there are over 10.5 million out-of-school children in Nigeria, with 5 to 7 million of them with disabilities.

Nigeria is also a signatory of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Article 24, which provides that all schools must be inclusive of and accessible to all children, including those with disabilities.

However, the governor noted that in Kano, “We make sure that handicapped children enjoy inclusive education and approaches that provide all children, including those with special needs and disabilities, equal access to quality education within mainstream schools and classrooms.

“We emphasize the ideas that children with disabilities are just as competent as those without disabilities and should be included in regular education settings wherever possible.”

The governor noted that such commitment reflects the present administration’s ongoing endeavour to achieve social security and a prosperous existence for the handicapped children in the state.

“To address the needs of society, including handicapped children, our government has expanded the mandate of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to encompass children and individuals with disabilities, aiming to enhance their quality of life through the following policies.

“We remain committed to addressing issues such as job creation, access to tertiary education, and the provision of scholarships by the government principle of inclusiveness in providing the benefits of democracy to all segments of society.”

Also speaking at the event, the CNS, represented by the Navy’s Director of Civil-Military Cooperation, Rear Admiral Michael Igwe, noted that the projects are avenues for the Navy to honour its accomplished senior officers.

He said, “The commissioning of the Chief of the Naval Staff Special Intervention Quick Impact Project undertaken by an illustrious son of Tudun Maliki, Rear Admiral Idi Abbas, is yet another watershed in the Nigerian Navy civil-military cooperation annals.

“Indeed, Rear Admiral Idi Abass’ choice to put smiles on the faces of these adorable children of the Torrey Home for Handicapped Children typifies Maya Angelou’s avowal that kindness takes courage.

“This project will certainly not be hurriedly forgotten. We appeal that, in keeping with the tenets of civil-military cooperation, the good people of Tudun Maliki and Kano State at large continue to collaborate with the Navy, the Armed Forces of Nigeria, and other security agencies as we eliminate threats to our collective well-being.”

He further appealed to the community to maintain the facility, expressing hope that it would significantly improve the level of comfort of the children.

Also, the project sponsor, Rear Admiral Idi Abbas, acknowledged the increasing population of handicapped children in the community.

He noted that the facility was not only aimed at ameliorating their burden; it was a gesture to commemorate the zenith of his career in the Navy.

“As a way of saying thank you for the sacrifices of the sons and daughters of this state in the NN and to particularly honour me having reached the zenith of my career in the NN, this project was approved by the Chief of the Naval Staff,” he said.

Navy Officer Builds Hostel For Handicapped Children In Kano is first published on The Whistler Newspaper