TheCable

Adebukola Adebayo, the chairman of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWDy), has asked the Lagos government to establish disability desks across the state.

Speaking on Thursday at a media parley organised by JONAPWD in partnership with BONEWS service, Adebayo said the initiative will bring the government closer to persons with disabilities (PWDs).

“A disability desk should be established and created in every ministry, department and agency. Currently, it is not in existence and that is why a lot of ministries do not know what to do. And when they are planning their programmes, they do not know how to mainstream disabilities into it,” he said.

“As a way out of that problem, each ministry, government supporting ministry, should designate a total desk or desk officer. There can be synergy with what [Lagos State Office of Disability Affairs] LASODA is doing.

“At the local level, local government offices should be opened. We call it local government disability support and resource centres; so that people can go there and they can be documented by their various local governments.

“We are demanding that the government, whether the current government or the incoming one, should set up these disabilities offices at the local government level.”

Reading out its charter of demands, the chairman said the government should pay close attention to the 49 inclusive schools in the state, among other propositions.

In the demands, Adebayo said the government should recruit consultants, and teachers and make provision for learning aids for students with diverse disabilities in these schools.

“A lot of the inclusive schools we have are lacking in man and material resources. And we need the government to put up a five-year plan on how to improve each of the over 40 inclusive schools,” he said.

“The 49 inclusive schools should be equipped with teachers and other learning aids that will help the children. There is no point having 49 inclusive schools and learning outcomes in those schools are nothing to write home about.”

On his part, Adewale Adeyanju, the NGO’s spokesperson, said the life of a person with disability is expensive, adding that the government needs to support on improving the quality of lives of PWDs. 

“What we are asking is not new. All we are asking for is for some tweaks to be made. In all those billions government is spending, allocate part of that for persons with disabilities,” he said.

“We have reached out to the government of Lagos state but we didn’t get any response. To be a person with disabilities is expensive. Government should play a role in improving the lives of people with disabilities.”