Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA), has appealed to the various Local Government Areas (LGAs) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos State to complement the vision of the State Government in the area of policies and programmes that will directly impact the lives of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs).
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Pharm. Mrs. Toyin Oke-Osanyintolu made the appeal on Tuesday during a Town Hall Meeting with Heads of the Department of Agric and Social Services from various Local Councils in the State.
Speaking during the Meeting with the theme: “Role of Local Government Authority in Enhancing Access to Health and Education for People With Disabilities in the Grassroots”, Pharm. Oke-Osanyintolu said that the local government authorities work together with LASODA to support those at the grassroots.
She said: “The State cannot work without the local government because it is through the local government that we can reach the grassroots so we must work in unison so that that the people we are trying to serve get an efficient and quality service delivery.
Pharm. Oke-Osanyintolu stated that the programme provided a platform for the Ministry to listen to the views of the various physically-challenged clusters about how they perceive the various interventions of the government regarding persons with disabilities.
The Permanent Secretary also noted that some areas that need more attention as priority areas had equally been identified, saying that the Ministry will reassess the way forward for persons with disabilities in Lagos State.
On his part, the General Manager of LASODA, Mr. Olawadamilare Ogundairo explained that the focus on discussion about health and education during the Town Hall Meeting was a result of the importance of health and education as indices for quality of life.
He said, “We are using this town hall meeting to educate grassroots officials of their roles in ensuring access to inclusive education and quality health delivery and also get feedback from the stakeholders on what could be done to improve service delivery to persons with disabilities”.
He said that although Lagos State Government has been practicing inclusive governance for a long time, however, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has decided to pay more attention to issues that affect PWDs with the T.H.E.M.E.S PLUS Agenda in his second term in office.
He affirmed that the town hall meeting would equip LASODA with relevant information that would signal the direction of its activities going forward, just as it will also enlighten PWDs on the expectations of the government from them.
One of the Resource Persons at the event, a Deputy Director in charge of Early Child Care Development at Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB), Mrs. Hilda Twins called on Local government authorities to collaborate with relevant organisations, including LASODA, disability-focused NGOs, parents’ associations, and advocacy groups, to ensure a coordinated approach to inclusive education.
The Partnerships, according to her,
can help in sharing best practices,
initiatives, and implementing joint additional support to students with disabilities.