APLSCD Suffers Gross Injustice & Discrimination, As Impunity Thrives Under The Watch Of Commissioner
The Association of People Living with Sickle Cell Disorder (APLSCD) is saddened about the reproachful conducts of few government aides stiffling the efforts towards an improved welfare and livelihood of persons living with sickle cell disorder.
For record purposes and clarifications, the general public is hereby guided into the happenings within the key Ministries saddled with the responsibilities of improving sickle cell sensitization and patients welfare according to law.
The Association is still at loss why the Commissioner for Women and Children Affairs, Mrs Ndidi Mezue would continue her threats to shut down the Sickle Cell Home and Center Agulu over some flimsy excuses, because Sickle cell children are not considered adoptable.
After some correspondences between the Association and the Ministry, the Commissioner acting on her irrationality and ego, tried to muscle down the Association into submitting on with the description of a “Sickle Cell Center,” as against the proposed “Sickle Cell Home.” The Sickle Cell Home for indigent and orphaned sickle cell patients is for accommodation with proper medical and economic attention.
A Center is a place where any function or activity occurs. APLSCD already has a Sickle Center at Nanka which houses our vocational and skill acquisition programs.
This description never went well with the Hon. Commissioner, and APLSCD wonders why a simple appellation can be so confusing to Mrs Mezue. This has led the Ministry to totally alienate itself from the Association and by denying suffering sickle cell children their lawful rights.
Anaocha as a whole does not have a charity home for any category of the underprivileged, and we wonder why the commissioner is bent on closing down the only National charity home for persons living with sickle cell disorder in Nigeria that has been set up and officially commissioned by a distinguished senator of the federal republic of Nigeria in Anaocha.
The Hon. Commissioner for Women and Children Affairs need to answer Ndi Anambra these following questions and more –
How can she be collecting the sum of seventy thousand naira each from all the registered orphanage homes in the name of recertification especially when grants are given to those homes every year without issuing any form of government valid receipts?
Why would the money be paid in cash and directly to her office through director child Mrs Nkechi and not into any government approved official account?
And silencing all opposing voices with the threat of temporarily closing down their homes?
Why would some staff of the Ministry on a presumed routine inspection of the orphanage homes open their car trunks to be filled up with foodstuffs and provisions meant for the orphaned children as thank you for your successful inspection?
Then what is the primary duty of the members of the security agencies that are attached those homes for general security inspections?
Must the food meant for the orphans finish in the name of multiple inspections?
Even the government grants and donations from philanthropists which is given to the ministry for onward disbursement to the orphanage homes are being giving to them in piecemeal, while the lager chunk is not accounted for.
Why would a sudden fear and apprehension grip the home managers on sighting the inspection team when they have fulfilled all requirements?
Why will the Association of all the Orphanage Home in Anambra State Appeal to your conscience to allow sickle cell people be, for the sake of their fragile condition yet you decline to even represent the wife of the Governor at that Historic Event denying all Sicklers of Her Excellency’s goodwill?
Are you aware that same sickle cell group built a functional Prince Engr Arthur Eze Sickle Cell Specialist Clinic at NAUTH Ukpo in Dunukofia LGA which you are very familiar with the geographical location?
Could it be that because sickle cell children are usually rejected by painful circumstances and are not considered adoptable therefore they cannot possibly generate the ministry’s needed revenues contrary to other orphanage homes with healthy children that are adoptable, Hence our persecution?
If the fight against sickle cell anaemia can be reduced to pecuniary gains, then all the frantic efforts of the Gov. Willie Obiano administration into ensuring a sickle cell free Anambra State is being betrayed.
His Excellency has demonstrated his commitments to fight sickle cell disorder through accenting to the Anambra State Sickle Cell Disease ( Control and Eradication) Law 2019. We only pray for the implementation of the sickle cell monitoring committee, for the speedy recovery of the initiative which is fast declining. The onus is now on the Commissioner for Health to make it work or not.
We pray that our Mother ministry will rise up and wipe those endless tears of Pain, injustice and discrimination and restore our faith and hope in them to survive the agonizing situation.
Long Live Anambra State Government!
Long Live all Sickle Cell Child in Anambra State!
Aisha Edward Maduagwu
National Coordinator
APLSCD.
07014152622.
2/9/20
