By Adeola Otemade
The president of the Care People Foundation, Reverend Paul Tiolowani, has urged government and well-meaning Nigerians to go beyond mere promises towards the disabled and the underprivileged, just as he urged government to come to their aid as the COVID-19 pandemic has affected all spheres of life.
Tiolowani made this call at the annual national carnival for disabled persons and underprivileged at the Care People Foundation, last Sunday, at the Motherless Babies Home Toll-Gate Ibadan, Oyo State.
According him, since the inception of the foundation, the welfare of the disabled and the underprivileged has been the priority of the organisation, and without backing down, efforts are being made to reach out to the general society to create an awareness and to integrate the disabled and underprivileged into the larger society.
“Year 2020 remains the worst year ever, considering the chains of events that occurred this year, starting with the COVID-19 pandemic, and the EndSARS protest, the interstate-cum-national lockdowns with resultant effects on the economy of our nation currently experiencing the worst recession since Nigeria became a nation.
“In a bid to still ensure that the annual carnival for the disabled and underprivileged holds this year, and in compliance with the COVID-19 protocol which entails observing social distancing, we decided to make this year’s celebration low-key for representatives to pick up gift items such as wheelchairs, sewing and grinding machines, bags of rice, cooked food and financial donations,” he added.