The General Manager, Lagos State Office of Disability Affairs (LASODA), Mr Ogundairo Oluwadamilare, said disability is critical to governance and peace.
He said this at the One day workshop for Senior Officials in Local government administration in Lagos State.
LASODA boss spoke about the Lagos State Special Peoples’ Law and Inclusive governance at the grassroots.
According to him, disability has been ascribed to be critical to governance, peace and people-oriented government.
Hence the need to carry all beings whether able-bodied or people living with disabilities along, so that all can contribute meaningfully.
Ogundairo maintained that the workshop was organised to re-orientate all tiers of government’ of the need to make use of the recommendation of Lagos State Special Peoples’ Law.
“In day to day running of all ministries, departments and àgencies, leave no one behind in decision making. They should not be discriminated against as far as decision making is concerned in such MDAs”, Ogundairo said.
The General Manager recalled that the discrimination against disabilities (prescription) act of Nigeria was signed into law by President Muhammad Buhari in January 2019.
This is almost a decade after the Lagos State law had come into being.
“We want to ensure our members, i.e. people living with disabilities are not left out of whatever is happening in their place of environment or any MDAs they are posted.
”We wish to postulate that to ensure this happen, all members of such organisation should make all our members productive but not dependent.
”This could be done by establishing a robust relationship with all the people living with disabilities, by making them your colleagues by showing love but not bitterness or stigmatization.
”Before we know what is happening, most of them would through their robust contributions contribute meaningfully to the progress and development of such organisation and MDAs”, he said.
To further actualise the fruition of this law, LASODA General Manager, hinged that that was the reason the workshop was organised to ensure inclusion in the Bababjide Sanwo-Olu’s- led administration.
Thereafter, he advised that all heads of different MDAs should create a conducive environment to accommodate all the people living with disabilities.
Attendance at the event includes senior officials in local governments areas in Lagos State, various disability People like the blind, cripple, deaf and dumb etc.
Various disability foundations like Iyaniwura Foundation, lawyers, senior government officials, the Chairman, Joint National Association of People with disabilities, JONAPWD, Dr Adebukola Adebayo were present as well.
