Rivers
NGO Strategises To Redefine Disability In Children
A Non-Governmental Organisation, Lifeline Organisation For Children Empowerment (LOCE) has organised the first Nigerian Inclusive Play, PLAG Season 8.
PLAG is an acronym for Play, Learn And Grow.
Speaking with The Tide, the Founder/Executive Director of Lifeline, Ngozi Chukwuka, explained that LOCE exists, operates and functions mainly due to children with disabilities, in a world where all children (especially children with disabilities) have access to a good and quality life.
Mrs Chukwuka said Play Learn And Grow (PLAG) is one of its programmes that had run successfully in the last eight years.
Chukwuka explained that it was their own way of responding to the global agenda of ‘Leave no One Behind,’ as every child matters as well deserves to play.
She added that the success stories recorded from PLAG had been overwhelming and phenomenal as many kids had gotten a redefinition of what disability is all about as well exposing many parents to understand what a disadvantage child is all about too.
According to her, over the years, the organisation has made parents to look away kids look away from the seeming limitations on the outside of their kids and explore the limitless man on the inside; on the premise that the man that is really handicapped is the man that has refused to explore his inner strength.
She said such knowledge informed their different themes over the years.
She stated that this year, they considered the theme: Wired to lead” to drive home the truth, “Leadership is not answering a title but bridging the gaps. A leader is one that identifies a gap and closes it. He identifies a problem and mobilizes resources towards solving it.
“We are crafted by God to be the answer to the world’s problems. There is an exact problem we all are meant to solve. I encourage every child to activate the leader in him. No one should exclude himself or be excluded in leadership on the bases of physical disability, because disability is in the mind,” she charged.
According to her, “About 15% of the global populations live with some form of disability; of those, 2–4% experience significant difficulties in functioning.
“A World Health Organization source maintains that about 40% of Africa’s population consists of people with disabilities, including 10-15 percent of school-age children. Global disability is on the rise due to population ageing and the rapid spread of chronic diseases.
“According to 2016 population estimates, the population of Rivers State is 7,303,900, using the universal estimate of 10% of any population being made of children with disabilities, over 730,390 will be living with disabilities of various categories in Rivers State alone, although there are no accurate records in the state of people living with disabilities, people with disabilities continue to live with great physical, social, economic and attitudinal barriers in their daily lives,” Chukwuka added.
The Tide reports that PLAG is held yearly to mark the International Day of People with Disabilities worldwide, through PLAG.
LOCE advocates the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and creates awareness of the role of these goals in building a more inclusive and equitable world for children with disabilities. It is an inclusive play that provides equal opportunity for all children to play.
By: Susan Serekara-Nwikhana
The Rivers State Primary Healthcare Management Board (RSPHCMB) says it will commence Supplemental Immunization activities on Saturday, May 3, 2025, to vaccinate children from 0-5 years across the State.
The State Health Educator, Dr. Diana Babbo, who stated this during a sensitisation meeting with Media Advocate for Health, Rivers State, on the update of immunization exercise in Rivers State, said the National Immunization Plus Days (NIPDs) is a re-enforcement of the routine immunization at the health facilities.
According to her, it is aimed at boosting polio immunisation against the circulating variance of polio virus currently threatening the total eradication of polio in the country.
She further stated that there are four pillars of polio eradication, namely routine immunization (administered on babies in the health centre), supplemental immunization activity (supplements to boost the babies), surveillance (searching for children that have weakness in their legs or some oart of their bodies), and outbreak response.
The Health Educator noted that the Novel Oral Polio Vaccination Type 2 (NOPV 2) will be administered to children under the age of 0-5 years, which targets a specific polio still in existence in communities and capable of causing paralysis among the stated categories of children, despite the country being certified a polio-free nation.
Dr. Babbo further stated that this year’s NIPDs will address the high number of unresolved non-compliance cases in the State.
She debunked what she tagged a false rumour by mischief makers which claimed that the vaccines are responsible for the development of autism in children.
She said, “vaccines are not known to be responsible for the development of autism. We’re just hearing that. The truth is that one cannot know everything.
“That aspect that has been found, have we looked into other aspects, such as genetically modified foods, drinks, and milks that our children are taking?
“Have we also looked at genetic compatibility between couples before we now say vaccines are causing x, y, z things?
“Are we looking at the environment where these things are happening, what they are peculiar to?
“It must not be peculiar to all the families, there could be something also that’s happening around that we have not known. Research is evolving, let us not accuse our precious vaccines that have succeeded so far in my knowledge, to keep as many sicknesses at bay.
“The reason we do not have small pox in our world today, apart from the lab (a bio-lab) is because we vaccinated to the point where we were able to move small pox totally out of existence from human beings. We can succeed with that same pattern with all kinds of viruses”.
She stated that the connection between autism and vaccination could merely be coincidence.
Babbo, therefore, urged all parents, churches, and school owners to avail their children/wards the opportunity to be vaccinated against polio the stated exercise.
Sogbeba Dokubo
Engr Obi Fortune, a renowned philanthropist, has donated 80 desks to four secondary schools in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State. The donation is part of his commitment to advancing education in the area.
The schools that benefited from the gesture includes- Community Secondary School Umuoye.
Community Secondary School Akwa- Government Secondary School Ozuzu and Community Primary School Okehi 2 and all the schools got 20 units each of the desks.
Speaking during the brief handing-over ceremony held recently in okehi recently, Engr Obi stated that the donation fulfills his promise to use proceeds from his book sales to procure desks for schools in the LGA.
He disclosed that more desks will arrive soon and expressed his continued commitment to supporting education in the area.
Obi urged the schools to make good use of the desks and called on other individuals to contribute to the educational needs in the area.
This gesture demonstrates Engr Obi’s dedication to improving education in Etche LGA.
A professor of social and political philosophy at Rivers State University (RSU ) Nkpolu Oroworukwu port Harcourt, Prof Agha Eresia _Eke has emphasized that citizenship participation is crucial for achieving true democratic government. He stressed that citizens’ involvement in exercising their basic rights, such as freedom of speech, assembly, and religion, is essential for a democratic institution to thrive.
Eresia _Eke stated this while presenting his inaugural lecture at the 111 university’s inaugural lecture series with the topic “Nigeria Democratic practices:a contextual paradox”held at the university senate auditorium in Port Harcourt, last Wednesday.
According to him, core democratic values which include:,- Respect for individual rights and freedoms, Protection of human rights and fundamental freedom, Equality before the law, Freedom of speech, assembly, and association, Protection of privacy and personal autonomy.
“Through out history, the problem that has agitated social and political philosophers has been to work _out a model for the realization of the common good of man.
Man has always sought and developed methods and systems of organising himself according to his true nature as a rational being.”he stated.
Eresia-Eke notes that Nigeria is not practicing a true federalism and highlights the importance of a pragmatic approach to democracy, where ideas and solutions are tested and refined in real-world environments.
He emphasized that citizens must hold their leaders accountable and demand respect for human rights, stressing that by doing so, citizens can undertake their civic obligations and responsibilities, strengthening society as a whole.
Earlier in his address, the Vice chancellor of the university, Prof Zeb _Obipi commended the lecturer for his brilliant performance, adding that he has justified and proven that he is a professor in his area of specialization.
The VC averred that the university has been consistent in the inaugural lecture monthly and assured that his administration will continue to continue to keep the trend.