News: We need a voice- President of Albino Foundation in Nigeria to Goodluck

Jake Epelle

Nigerian albinos called on President Goodluck Jonathan to include their representative in the National Conference in order to draw government’s attention to the peculiar condition of people living with the disorder.
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The president of the Albino Foundation of Nigeria (AFN), Jake Epelle, made the appeal in a Thursday interview with PremiumTimes.

The National Conference kicks off today in Abuja at 4pm.

According to Epelle, there are six million albinos in Nigeria and they too "need a voice".

"We need to mainstream some of our issues and challenges into the national policy and discuss. We see this National Conference as a platform to push our cases," he said.

Epelle said that one of the biggest problems albinos face is that that they have no sense of belonging in any country.
AFN president pointed out that people with albinism need a platform to explain what challenges they face to enable politicians design programmes and policies that could favour those living with the disorder.

"We have been making frantic effort to get the government to include us as delegates in the National Conference," Epelle added.

Albinism is an inherited genetic condition that results in the absence of pigmentation in the eyes, the skin and the hair.
Due to the unique make-up of people living with the condition, they are susceptible to specific skin and eye problems that could affect their economic and social status.
Therefore, albinos require higher level of care and attention that are seldom provided in conventional health care facilities.
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