The Lagos State Government, in conjunction with the United Nations Population Fund, has said Persons with Disabilities in the state should be given opportunities to express their potential as part of its policy of inclusion.
According to a statement on Thursday, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Dr Olugbenga Aina, disclosed this during a stakeholders’ meeting held in Alausa, Ikeja.
He said, “Based on the fact that over one billion people are estimated to experience disability, the concept of disability is worth paying attention to with all our resources because the PWDs are being subjected to dehumanising conditions and this seminar was aimed to ensure that the PWDs, like every other person, are accorded equal access to everything required to make life worth living.
“In line with Article 25 of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Lagos State Government has put in place different policies and programmes to give PWDs the opportunities to express their potential in various areas.”
A representative of UNFPA, Dr Amaka Momah-Haruna, said the stakeholders meeting was long overdue because the organisation had noticed that PWDs were being sidelined in many areas of life.
The General Manager, Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs, Mr Oluwadamilare Ogundairo, said the agency would not relent in contributing its quota in terms of sensitisation and advocacy in championing the needs of the PWDs.