Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has stated the reason she opened a school for the blind in Lagos.
She tied the gesture to the Federal Government’s commitment to inclusive development.
Orelope-Adefulire spoke at the unveiling of the state-of-the-art educational and residential facility at the Bethesda Home and School for the Blind, Surulere, Lagos, delivered by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs).
The newly constructed and fully furnished complex was inaugurated on Tuesday.
Mr Desmond Utomwen, the Special Assistant to Orelope-Adefulire, on Media, Publicity and Strategic Communication, said this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
The project comprises 16 classrooms, dormitories, staff rooms, a Braille computer training centre, a library, and a sound studio, among others.
Orelope-Adefulire described the facility as “a symbol of compassion, inclusion, and collective progress,” noting that the intervention reflected President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to inclusive governance through the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“This Home reaffirms our shared humanity and commitment to leave no one behind, particularly the most vulnerable in our society. This is a place of refuge, a centre of learning, growth, and dignity for children with visual impairments,” she stated.
According to her, the facility speaks directly to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 1 on ending poverty, SDG 3 on good health and well-being, SDG 4 on quality education, SDG 10 on reduced inequalities, and SDG 11 on sustainable cities and communities.
“Through this Bethesda Home for the Blind, we are nurturing dreams. We are restoring dignity. We are strengthening the wings of those who were never meant to be grounded.
“When children with visual impairments are given the right environment—safe accommodation, accessible education, skilled caregivers—they flourish.” Orelope-Adefulire declared.
Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to the President, represented by Barr. Barakat Odunuga-Bakare, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Housing, commended the project.
He expressed confidence that the Federal Government, through OSSAP-SDGs, would continue to support the Home and School to ensure the children were not left behind.
In her welcome address, Dr Oreoluwa Awokoya, the Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State on Sustainable Development Goals, described the facility as hope made visible, and inclusion made real.
“What we celebrate here today is more than brick and mortar; it is a sanctuary of vision, built not on sight, but on foresight—a place where ability rises beyond disability, and where the dignity of every human life is not only acknowledged, but amplified.
“Bethesda Home reminds us that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals is not about slogans; it’s about building structures that ensure no one is left behind—especially not those who have often been kept furthest from opportunity,” she said.
Mr Mobolaji Abubakre Ogunlende, the Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, also lauded the initiative, stating that it aligns perfectly with the state government’s values.
“This milestone underscores our administration’s commitment to promoting inclusion, sustainability, quality education, and renewed hope for all,” Ogunlende said.
