Apostle Chibuzor Chinyere, the general overseer of Omega Power Ministry (OPM), has canceled future marriage plans for autistic children in his care, just hours after a meeting with the Rivers State government.
The Rivers State government met with Apostle Chibuzor on Tuesday to discuss his decision to arrange a marriage for his autistic son.
The meeting was organized by the Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, in collaboration with the International Federation of Women Lawyers, led by chairperson Tamunonuemi Life-George.
The meeting aimed to address public concerns regarding potential violations of child rights and the ministry’s childcare practices, which could conflict with state laws.
Lauretta Davies Dimpka, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, explained that the meeting was necessary because the cleric’s actions, although well-intentioned, did not align with state laws.
She highlighted that the Child Rights Law, the Persons with Disabilities Act, and the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law guided the ministry’s stance.
She also expressed appreciation to Chinyere for attending the meeting, acknowledging his humility and noting that he had promised to seek approval from the ministry in the future and correct the identified violations.
Chinyere called the meeting an “eye-opener” and assured that he would follow the necessary regulations moving forward.
The cleric admitted that he was unaware of certain legal requirements, including the need to register his orphanage with the state government and obtain approval to house minors.
Following the meeting, Chinyere announced on his Facebook page that he was permanently suspending future marriage plans for his autistic children and would hire special doctors to care for them.
KanyiDaily recalls that Apostle Chibuzor Chinyere had arranged the marriage of Aboy, an autistic young man in his care, to a single mother of three from Edo State on March 29.
He had also been seeking suitors for his 21-year-old autistic daughter but decided to suspend the process after receiving around 1,000 applications following the meeting.
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