18th April, 2016
Kazeem Ugbodaga
The Lagos State Government has charged corporate bodies and Non-Governmental Organisations, NGOs to embrace people living with Down syndrome and explore the good potentials in them.
Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mrs Uzamat Akingbile-Yussuf spoke at the weekend at the event marking the 2016 International Down Syndrome Day held at the government secretariat, Alausa, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.
She said like in the case of other disability groups, the society could not ignore or overlook the desirable benefits accruable to the society when adequate attention was given to people living with Down syndrome.
“For instance, an employer of labour is bound to get one hundred percent loyalty from his employee with Down syndrome as against a lower percentage of loyalty from a counterpart able bodied employee. This is because the former has a stereotype mind when it comes to engagement in performing a function while the latter could decide to jump from employer to the other at will,” she said.
According to her, many of the people living with Down syndrome were immune to some immoral habits many able people engaged in today such as lying, backbiting, fornication, among others, stressing that the present administration was determined to implement all the provisions in the Lagos State Special Peoples Law to the letters.
“I would like to appeal to individuals, NGOs, corporate bodies to embrace people living with Down syndrome and in deed all persons living with disabilities and explore the good potentials in them rather than the shortcomings arising from their disabilities,” she said.
Permanent Secretary, Youth and Social Development, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola called on all to be ready to assist people with Down syndrome to realize their ambition and develop their full potentials.
He appealed to parents and guardians of people with Down syndrome not to be discouraged as such people were trainable and should be given the needed education as well as shown love to.
General Manager, Lagos State Office for Disabilities Affairs, LASODA, Mr. Babatunde Awelenje said the state government had put machinery in motion to defend the rights of people with disabilities, adding that people living with Down syndrome should be cater for.