By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
Oyo State Commissioner of Women Affairs, Community Development, Social Welfare and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Atinuke Osunkoya on Tuesday said that there is adequate security and welfare measures for the vulnerable segment of the society in the state.
Mrs Osunkoya stated this at a ministerial briefing to highlight the activities of the Ministry and to commemorate the 2018 International Women’s Day held at the Film Theatre, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.
According to the Commissioner already, about 10,514 children have been cared for under the Oyo state government child welfare programme, adding that “security of lives and properties is topmost priority of the state government”.
She said 1155 people have benefited from the poverty alleviation of the Abiola Ajimobi led government and that another set of 126,961 women across the 33 Local Government Areas (LGAs) have benefited from the government’s women empowerment programme.
The Commissioner maintained that ” 152 children were rescued from traffickers, provided with rehabilitation services and support, while 6,000 children have benefitted from the Educate a Rural Child Programme, 276 reformed under probational services through their schools, 561 children were trained in different vocations and empowered with support from SACA, 65 infected and affected by HIV/AIDS were provided educational and nutritional support and 3460 orphans and vulnerable children in orphanages in the state were provided with educational and welfare support.”
Speaking further, the Commissioner disclosed that a task force has been set up to arrest the increasing influx of destitutes into the state as some are being dumped from the neighboring states, saying, 361 destitute have been evacuated, treated and re-integrated with their families within and outside the state.
Mrs Oshunkoya noted that the government will not relent in its efforts with People With Disability (PWD), stating that 350 PWDs were provided with Mobility Aids such as wheel Chairs, White canes and crutches, 31 with artificial limbs produced at subsidized rates for the amputees at the Rehabilitation Centre for the Disabled, Moniya and 434 PWDs were empowered with cash and equipment such as computers, sewing machines, barbing and hair dressing equipment.
On the activities lined up for the 2018 International Women’s Day, the Commissioner said it will include an Enlightenment Campaign Rally to be led by wife of the Governor, Mrs. Florence Ajimobi on Wednesday March 7, 2018 while there will be a Women’s Forum on Thursday, March 8, 2018 on the theme of this year’s celebration which is Time is now: Rural and Urban Activities Transforming Women’s Lives.
The Commissioner was joined at the media parley by her Information counterpart, Mr. Toye Arulogun,
