Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has reiterated his determination to build a special school for the physically challenged in the South-South state.
He said the school would be built to give them hope and provide special opportunity for them to learn.
The re-elected Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) spoke through his Commissioner for Education, Dame Alice Lawrence Nemi, where he gave the directive for the speedy execution of the special school project at a youth interactive forum held in the state.
At the end of inspection of the land for the school for the physically challenged, which lies between Kpondo and Aluu in Ikwerre Local Government Area, along the road accessing Rukpokwu in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state, with a team of journalists, Dame Nemi and her Social Welfare and Rehabilitation counterpart, Joe Poroma, spoke on the effort by the Amaechi administration to fulfil its dream of building a special school for the physically challenged in the state.
Dame Nemi said her ministry was already on the designs for the school for the physically challenged.
She said: “Let me, on behalf of the Ministry of Education and my colleague, the Commissioner for Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, thank His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, for giving hope to the physically challenged in the state and also the Sole Administrator of Greater Port Harcourt, Dame Aleruchi Cookey-Gam. I am gladdened in my heart today that I and my colleague are here (site for the school) today.
Poroma said the physically challenged in the state would have a new beginning with the school.
“It’s a great day in the lives of those that are physically challenged in our state. It has always been the dream of this administration to come up with a dream home, as you may as well call it school for those that are physically challenged in the state. Today is a new beginning; we’ve come here to inspect the land and I promise everybody in this state that by the time this administration comes to an end there’s going to be a befitting school for those that are physically challenged”.
The representative of the Sole Administrator of Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority, and Manager of the Survey Department, Elenwo Noel, said the land for the special school for the physically challenged falls within the educational layout of the Greater Port-Harcourt City, and is about 3.48 hectares of land.