Goodwill Message From Bisi Bamishe, AAN President
On behalf of the National Executive Council of our great family, l welcome us to a new year and new month. We want to express our appreciation for your support since we resumed office. We believe that our coming on board to steer this ship of our great association is by the will of God and by His grace, we will not let God down nor shall we disappoint you all. We solicit for your prayers.
This administration commenced in the last quarter of 2021 with Mr Jake Epelle as the pioneer president who worked hard to make sure that Persons with Albinism (PWAs) have a voice both at local and international levels. Other executive officers are;
2. Mariam Ishaka – Vice President.
3. Daniel Adeyi – General Secretary.
4. Segun Abimbola – Assistant General Secretary,
5. Elizabeth lsola- Treasurer.
6. Abel Mvendaga – Financial Secretary.
7. Nonye Ogbuagu – Welfare Officer.
8. Ismaila Salisu – PRO.
In 2022, we joined the international community to celebrate the International Albinism Awareness Day (IAAD) in Akwa lbom State.
MY LEADERSHIP
In the last quarter of 2022 when Mr Epelle resigned, l took over the mantle of leadership on September 27th, 2022.
BANK ACCOUNT
We commenced our activities with the tedious process of opening our Association’s account. Though the process was a herculean task, we surmounted the hurdles. Today, we are happy to announce that we now have a bank account for AAN. Our Banker is Fidelity Bank.
OUR CONSTITUTION
Before the year end, we were able to work on our Constitution and get it updated to meet international standards. Review of the Constitution will be a continuous exercise until we are all satisfied with it.
JONAPWD MEMBERSHIP
We are happy to announce that during this administration, our great association was admitted into the fold of Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities (JONAPWD) as a member cluster. It was a dream come true fir us to be a recognised member of the disability community. This we believe will be of great blessing to our cluster both at the national and global level. We look forward to having a robust relationship with JONAPWD.
IDPWD CELEBRATION
In the last month of the year, we marked the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPWD). This was done in only four geopolitical zones (two in the North and two in the South) due to financial constraints. The only sponsor we got for the event was Sightsavers. The development partner set aside a small budget (the sum of N500,000) to support us to mark the day.
STATE CHAPTER ELECTIONS
Last month, we had a pilot chapter election in Lagos State. Observers of the election were representatives of Lagos State Office Of Disability Affairs (LASODA), Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities (JONAPWD) and National Executive Council of AAN. The election was free and fair. We are proceeding to other states that are ready to do theirs. However, we expect all State chapter elections to be completed across the country by the end of April to enable all states mark 2023 National Albinism Day on May 5th and collectively celebrate the lnternational Albinism Awareness Day on June 13th.
OUR ACTIVITIES FOR 2023
As part of the activities lined up this year, the association shall engage in aggressive campaign to sensitise the nation about the following,
1. Sunscreen protection. Persons with albinism are sensitive to the harsh sun rays. The association shall this year embark on advocacy campaigns to enlighten members on ways to protect themselves from the sun.
2. Skin cancer enlightenment. In this regard the association will educate members on the dangers of skin cancer as well as seek collaboration with partners on ways and means to provide help for members with skin cancer.
3. Our Association being a young one, shall this year seek partnership with national and international organizations on ways to strengthen our capacity in terms of how to put forward our challenges, needs and the best ways of tackling them. In this regard we shall be collaborating with renowned organisations in the disability community.
4. Also, our Association shall observe the National Albinism Day in and the international Albinism Awareness Day in May and June respectively. We shall seek partnership and sponsorship with reputable organisations to achieve these.
5. Our Association aims to put in place functional state offices, we shall embark on electing our state level functionaries this year.
6. The issue of healthy sight in persons with albinism is also a huge concern to the Exco, therefore we shall undertake measures to address it by again seeking partnership with relevant agencies.
7. Our Association shall make efforts to bring together all organisations carrying out activities that have dealings with person with albinism in the country as well as abroad, so that the activities will be better coordinated for maximum results.
As we can see, we have outlined series of events for this year and we feel it’s important to bring to your attention these activities. Once again, we solicit for your support to achieve their successful implementation and move Albinism Association of Nigeria to great heights.
Thank you and God bless you all.
Mrs Bisi Bamishe
National President.
