From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The National Academy of Science has applauded the zeal and commitment shown by the Obaseki administration in the fight against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Edo State.
Members of the Academy expressed their appreciation while on tour with the wife of the state governor, Betsy Obaseki to some of the facilities set up by Governor Godwin Obaseki for the management of Gender-Based Violence in the state.
The team, while at the Sexual Assault Referral Centre, also known as the Vivian Centre, were briefed by the coordinator of the centre, Dr Egbe Enobakhare, who said that ‘we do rapid tests for HIV, and for Syphilis, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, and we have a tool for collecting information from them.
‘We take time to obtain samples for forensics and from our records, we get no less than 26 new cases every month,’ Dr Enobakhare said.
Earlier, the Chairperson of the National Academy of Science, Professor Ekanem Braide, and the Executive Secretary of the Academy Dr Doyin Odubanjo, stated that the body has been tasked by the Ford Foundation as the grant administrators of the gender-based violence project in Abia, Niger, Ekiti and Edo States.
‘As you can see, it’s a collection of top scientists and if you look around you will see that most of the fellows are heads of top establishments or chairmen of committees,’ she said.
‘In terms of this particular project, the Academy was contacted by Ford Foundation to serve as the grant manager and technical partner to the states, currently four states, and we hope that this can be expanded across the country,’ Dr Doyin Odubanjo said.
The team also proceeded to the Daisy Danjuma Shelter For Vulnerable Persons which has a 200-bed hostel for boys and a 40-bed hostel for girls, a dining room, training hall, recreation centre and clinic.