Agency for Persons With Special Needs Underway …As Bill  Scales Second Reading In Senate

The Bill  for the establishment of  a National Agency for the Research and Management of Persons with Special Needs scaled second reading , yesterday on the floor of the Senate.
Presenting the bill  for consideration, the  sponsor,  Senator Betty Apiafi ( Rivers West) said  the bill among other things, seeks to create an agency charged with improving the social, economic, mental and Physical well being of persons diagnosed with disorders that have special needs.
Senator  Apiafi noted that the bill seeks to  also provide  to ameliorate the plight and hardship of citizens with various disorders and  special needs in Nigeria
Among cases of special needs which the bill seeks to provide for are persons with Down Syndrome; Autism; Cerebral Palsy; Dyslexia; Bipolar Disorder; Albinism and hypo-pigmentation; Vitiligo; Psoriasis; Lupus; Scleroderma; Severe Atopic Dermatitis; Lamellar Ichthyosis; Sickle Cell disorder; Thalassemia; Haemophilia; Hydrocephalus/Neural disorders; and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
After the consideration , the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan,  referred  the bill  to the Committee on Sports and Social Development for further legislative work.

By: Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi, Abuja