By Rosemary Ogbonnaya
Executive Secretary, National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, Mr James David Lalu has reassured employers of labor and other stakeholders in the Disability community of the Commission’s resolve to help employees with disabilities with Assistive Devices where applicable.
Lalu said this during the maiden edition of the Nigerian Diversity and Inclusion Conference organized by the Nigerian Business Disability Network in conjunction with Sightsavers recently in Lagos.
The NCPWD who was invited at the occasion as a guest speaker stated that PWDs are very smart people and the strategy is to support them in order to demonstrate their abilities in disabilities.
He applauded the initiative taken by various private sectors to partner in the diversity inclusion of PWDs, saying, “the discourse on the matters of disabilities and interests in their welfare would guarantee their protection as well as their promotion.
The Executive Secretary further disclosed that disabilities community are all over the streets, “we are expected to lunch the Presidential special intervention programmes them which would build up skill acquisition programmes”
He stated that the Commission has submitted the lists of Persons with Disabilities to the Central Bank of Nigeria to insert in their data base while the Bank of Industry is coming up with some laudable ideas and initiatives to strengthen industrialization for PWDs.
“We are rolling out massive empowerment programmes for PWDs especially the ones still on the streets ” he revealed.
Lalu also condemned the discrimination of PWDs in the job market, described it as “outdated”
“Let us give Persons With Disabilities equal opportunities based on what they can do, by so doing we will understand that through diversity and inclusion, we can drive values collectively for ourselves and our organizations ” he said.
The ES, however, stated that it is derogatory and painful to use PWDs for slavery on business ventures. “We are collaborating with the Inspector General of Police to deal with such issues as we are also helping to train the staff of the Police in the whole Federation on this regard”
Earlier in her remarks, the Chairman Nigerian Business Disability Network Omobolanle Victor Laniyan stated that Nigeria is still at infant stage of promoting a comprehensive and a coordinated approach towards disability inclusion, whether with human rights or sustainable development.
“Although most of us are still on the verge fo accessing and bridging the gaps of disability inclusion in our workplaces but, we have started seeing semblance of progress ” she said.
In his keynote address, the Disability Inclusion Consultant World Bank group, Nigeria, Dr. Adebukola Adebayo lamented that 0.2 percent of PWDs are gainfully employed, adding that a number of the PWDs go through unwarranted barriers while searching for source of livelihood.
Lamenting the challenges, Adebayo stated that lack of knowledge and awareness are the biggest challenges that are setting the discourse on disability inclusion backwards. He futher stated that communication, attitudinal and environmental challenges are also serious issues in that regard.
