*Former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has urged the Federal Government<\/p>\n
to sustain the policy which grants access to free healthcare to people
\nliving with albinism who suffer from skin cancer.\u00a0\u00a0 The policy was started
\nin 2013 during the Goodluck Jonathan administration. *<\/p>\n
*Chief Obasanjo who said he was alarmed by the rate at which albinos become
\naffected with cancer, explained that it was the lack of knowledge and
\ninformation about albinism that make albinos particularly vulnerable to the
\ndisease.*<\/p>\n
*\u201cI believe that with more information and knowledge about the proper care
\nof albinos, especially children, there will be fewer cases of people living
\nwith albinism being\u00a0 vulnerable to skin cancer,\u2019\u2019 he said. *<\/p>\n
*Chief Obasanjo made these comments when a delegation from The Albino
\nFoundation (TAF) paid a courtesy call on him at his Ota, Ogun State
\nresidence recently.\u00a0 He also accepted the offer of TAF to serve as co-life
\npatron of the foundation, alongside former President Shehu Shagari. *<\/p>\n
*Speaking earlier, the founder of TAF, Mr. Jake Epelle had briefed the
\nformer president on the various initiatives and programmes of the
\nfoundation and its effort to ensure mainstreaming of albinos in government
\npolicies and programmes.*<\/p>\n
*Epelle said that in spite of the effort of TAF, people living with
\nalbinism still suffer serious discriminations and stigmatization in the
\nsociety. \u201cAlthough we have seen marginal improvement in the treatment of
\nalbinos over time, we still face prejudices borne out of unfounded myths
\nand fears of albinism.*<\/p>\n
*\u2018\u2019Many albinos are denied right to education, while others suffer
\nwork-place discriminations. We at TAF are calling on government at all
\nlevels to make laws and policies that will mainstream albinism in all areas
\nof the society,\u2019\u2019 Epelle said.*<\/p>\n
*Obasanjo furthermore pledged to support the effort of TAF for
\nmainstreaming of albinism and to chair the International conference on
\nalbinism which is slated for Ogun State in June 2017.\u00a0 *<\/p>\n
*Issued on behalf of TAF*<\/p>\n
*By Peach Communications Ltd *<\/p>\n
*32, Ekukinam St., Utako, Abuja*
\n*(Photos: Jake Epelle, founder of TAF, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and other
\nmembers of the foundation)*<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
*Former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has urged the Federal Government to sustain the policy which grants access to free healthcare to people living with albinism who suffer from skin cancer.\u00a0\u00a0…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45973,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n