Peter Uzoho
Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Lagos State have rated the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu poor in responding to their needs through policies and programmes aimed at enabling their survival.
They also lambasted the Sanwo-Olu government for jettisoning the N5 million annual funding scheme for PWDs in Lagos, which was introduced by the former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and was implemented till the ex-governor left office.
The Lagos Chapter of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) made the assertions yesterday in Lagos, at a media parley and public presentation of their Charter of Demands ahead of the 2023 general elections in collaboration with BONews Service.
Presenting the charter of demands, the Lagos Chapter Chairman of JONAPWD, Dr. Adebukola Adebayo, said the current government had not been responsive to their needs and challenges unlike the former governor.
“Things were quite better for persons with disabilities in Lagos when Ambode was the governor. Ambode introduced the disability fund where N5 million was disbursed annually to PWDs for their economic empowerment. But since the administration of Governor Sanwo-Olu, that disability fund has not been disbursed to us,” Adebayo said.
He revealed that the 49 inclusive schools in the state, which are special schools for disabled children, were largely understaffed, ill-equipped and suffering the brain drain syndrome, adding that in some of those schools, one teacher was left to cater to about 80 children.
In their charter of demands, which cuts across health, education, accessibility to transportation infrastructure, economic empowerment and employment, social protection among others, the JONAPWD Lagos Chapter called for full implementation of the Lagos State Special Persons Law (SPL) starting with the constitution of the governing board of the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA).
“The state government should commit to full implementation of the SPL by ensuring that prompt constitution of the LASODA Governing Board with all disability clusters represented in order to give direction and inclusiveness in the management of the agency.
“Qualified professionals and specialists in all the disability types be employed and deployed to LASODA with a view to ensuring that concerns of each disability type receives proper and professional attention.
“Disability Desks manned by qualified professionals are created in critical ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to facilitate functional and institutional interaction between LASODA and the various MDAs.
“Disability Support and Resource Centres are set-up in all the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs in order to reduce the challenges of PWDs having to come to the State Capital to receive necessary services from LASODA”, JONAPWD said.
To make education more inclusive and accessible to PWDs, the body recommended that the Lagos State government should review and strengthen the Inclusive Education Policy with a five-year implementation plan that would receive annual cash-backed budget.
It also recommended that a distinct Directorate for Special and Inclusive Education be established under the Ministry of Education to provide the necessary professional and institutional support to the delivery of qualitative, functional and inclusive education to children and learners with disabilities at primary, secondary and tertiary levels respectively.
“All 49 public inclusive primary and secondary schools should be equipped with relevant assistive learning aids and provided with special teachers, care-givers and other relevant specialists.
“All 49 inclusive schools be provided with functional buses to support mobility for pupils and learners. Some of the inclusive schools be provided with boarding house facilities to ease learning for pupils and learners. Special Allowances for special teachers be implemented in order to motivate them”, the state body said.
In the area of health, JONAPWD stressed the need for the Lagos State government to put in place a disability-Inclusive Health Framework in line with the SPL, adding that this should detail modalities for implementing the free health provisions of the SPL for PWDs.
According to the association, the Lagos State Health Insurance Programme and other primary health care delivery services be reviewed to mainstream the specific health needs of the various disability types.
It advocated that all public health facilities in the state should establish disability support desks/units and equip same with sign language interpreters, social workers, therapists among others.
However, in the area of employment, economic empowerment and social protection, the PWDs Lagos Chapter demanded that the “government should demonstrate real and sustained commitment to a more holistic and systemic approach to the socio-economic empowerment of PWDs. This should be done through—
Guidelines for Disability-Inclusive employment and economic empowerment for PWDs should be developed.”
