President Muhammadu Buhari would next week commission the Comprehensive Special School, Lafia, Nasarawa state, and lay foundation for the terminal building of the cargo airport during his official visit to the state.
Speaking after his meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr. Abba Kyari, Governor Tanko Al-makura said the cargo airport, which is 60 per cent completed, would cost the state government N20 billion.
The governor said the special needs school was established in fulfillment of the President’s promise to the people with disability.
He said: “I came to confer with the chief of staff with regard to very critical issues relating to the administration of Nasarawa State,” the governor said. “They have to do with the comprehensive special school for people with disability. This is likely to be the largest single school in the whole of the federation that caters for all categories of people with disability, from cerebral palsy, popularly known as autism, to people with vision and hearing impairment and even physical impairment like the cripple.”
The governor said that the school will cater for the education of children with disability from kindergarten stage up to senior secondary. “This will give tremendous amount of relief to parents who have children living with disability, whose education could not go beyond certain level,” he said.
Special education schools are established to serve individuals who have a disability that might interfere with the educational process. The focus of such schools is to facilitate access to an appropriate education, regardless of the disability, to help the student achieve academic from infancy to age 21 and life success.
Al-Makura said the school will admit people from within and outside Nasarawa state and it is tuition-free. “This, we have decided to do in line with Mr. President’s focus and vision and manifesto of our party,” he said.
However, while the governor’s attempt to link the school to the President and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is welcomed, it is hoped that the school and its students will be seen and addressed beyond political considerations.
Essentially, it is hoped that the school will gear its education programmes toward teaching the students life skills, such as dressing, personal hygiene, safety, handling money and day-to-day decision making. These special programmes are necessary, if these students are to eventually enjoy any degree of self-sufficiency.
Railway: Let’s think Nigeria
This week, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved $500 million for the purchase of coaches, wagons and locomotives for Lagos-Ibadan and Itakpe-Warri railways.
Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Ameachi, who disclosed this to State House correspondents, dismissed allegations that the railway project was only being executed in the North and South-west parts of the country.
He warned against politicising the railway project. “The federal government is sourcing for funds to enable it execute railway projects across the country,” he said.
“Let’s think Nigeria.” Amaechi said that the government will borrow money to extend the project to all states. Railway projects should not be politicised,” he said, adding: “It should be left as an economic driver.’’
And truly, that’s what it is. Railway is very important in driving economy of nations. The resurgence of railways worldwide is due to the recognition that it is the most sustainable form of land-based mass transport both for passenger and freight segments.
Interestingly, even the United States of America, the flag-bearer of car ownership with huge road infrastructure, is now faced with congested highways and is looking to the growth of railway rather than road expansion. So also is the case with the European Union (EU) countries. China has already put itself in a leadership role in this sphere.
So should Nigeria. However, to achieve that, we must, as Amaechi urged us to do, “think Nigeria” and act for Nigeria.
