By Gbenga Oloniniran
The Lagos State government, through the Office for Disability Affairs, has presented work tools and assistive devices to about 50 civil servants with disabilities in the state.
The government also issued cheques of N1.1m each to 11 individuals to procure prosthetics to enhance their independence and productivity.
Speaking during the presentation at the STO Resource Centre, Alausa-Ikeja, the General Manager of LASODA, Adenike Oyetunde-Lawal, said the initiative was designed to advance inclusion and increase accessibility for PWDs, especially those employed by the state government.
Oyetunde said, “Today, we are presenting 23 laptops, nine with speech-assisted software, for our visually-impaired persons, calculators, and motorised wheelchairs. We also have some home representatives who are here. They are picking up assistive devices and tools for the children that they have with them.
These work tools are more than just equipment, they are enablers of efficiency, confidence, and dignity. With these tools, our colleagues with disabilities will not only perform their tasks with ease but will also contribute meaningfully to the growth and development of Lagos and it is a way of upholding the fundamental rights of persons with disabilities, as enshrined in the Lagos State Special People’s Law (2011).
“Lagos still remains a higher employer of PWDs in the nation and our responsibility is to continue to provide many assistive devices and every form of assistance that we can provide to PWDs in the state, championing it across the nation and hopefully across the continent of Africa.”
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Oluwatoyin Oke-Osanyintolu, said the initiative is in fulfillment of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s social inclusion agenda that provides for all individuals with special needs.
RC: PUNCH
