Vice Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 election, Mr Peter Obi, has celebrated the 2020 World Sickle Cell Day with the Association of People Living with Sickle Cell Disorder (APLSCD) in Nigeria by donating relief materials to them. Obi, who called for more awareness of the Sickle Cell scourge in the society, stated that it is a preventable pain that can be avoided if people are well informed about the sickness.
Describing those living with Sickle Cell Disorder as needing love and care, Obi said they must never be stigmatised or discriminated against, but given better opportunities to succeed in life.
Appreciating Obi on behalf of the Association, for the relief materials, the National Coordinator of APLSCD, Aisha Edwards Mmaduagwu, said Obi had always related to APLSCD as a family and had never failed to identify with them whenever they needed his help. Aisha said that such intervention was timely as that was what they mostly needed.
Her words: “We will always remember what His Excellency has done for us here today. His outreach to us, at a time like this, is like a therapy to us. The foodstuffs he has brought to us today are worth more to us than drugs. Some of us who are dependent on blood transfusion to survive no longer get blood donors. We now depend on good spirited Nigerians like Mr Peter Obi to donate food stuffs to us so that we can feed well and generate enough blood to be alive and healthy.
“APLSCD is eternally grateful to Mr Peter Obi. Reaching out to people in need seems like an apostolate to him. We can’t thank him enough.”
Obi was represented at APLSCD Headquarters, Nanka, Anambra State, by a team of delegates headed by former Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Prof Stella Okunna. Other members of the team were the former Commissioner for Housing in Anambra State, Dr Patrick Nky Obi; former Commissioner for Information, Anambra State, Chief Joe Martins Dike, and Special Adviser to Peter Obi, Barr. Valentine Obienyem.