The family of Madam Evbu Iyahen Eguasa, the elderly mentally challenged woman recently rescued from an uninhabitable house along Upper Lawani Street in Benin City by the Edo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, has expressed profound appreciation to the Edo State Government and the Honourable Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Eugenia Abdallah, for the timely intervention that saved their sister’s life.
Led by Mr. Lugard Iyahen Eguasa, the younger brother of the rescued woman, the family paid a courtesy visit to the Commissioner at the Ministry’s headquarters to formally convey their gratitude for the compassion and swift response shown by the Ministry. He also came with a younger photograph of Madam Eguasa, showing her as a very pretty woman in her younger days.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Mr. Lugard Eguasa thanked Governor Monday Okpebholo and Hon. Eugenia Abdallah for ensuring that his sister was rescued from the deplorable condition in which she had been living and immediately admitted into a rehabilitation home for proper care and treatment.
According to him, the intervention of the Ministry has restored hope to the family, noting that they remain grateful for the government’s commitment to protecting vulnerable and indigent persons across the state.
Responding, the Honourable Commissioner, Hon. Eugenia Abdallah, appreciated the family for the visit and reiterated the Ministry’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding the welfare of vulnerable persons in Edo State.
She advised the family to regularly check on their sister and remain actively involved in her recovery process, stressing that family support plays a vital role in the rehabilitation and reintegration of persons with mental health challenges.
Hon. Abdallah further disclosed that once Madam Evbu Iyahen Eguasa has fully recovered, the Ministry will empower her with a vocational skill to enable her become self-reliant and be successfully reintegrated into society.
The Commissioner also appealed to members of the public to promptly report cases of abandoned, abused or mentally challenged persons requiring urgent assistance, emphasizing that collective responsibility is essential in ensuring that vulnerable persons receive the care, protection and support they deserve.
Daisy Osunde
Director of Media
MWASD
