The wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has said that the first public school with a ramp specially designed for physically challenged students, in Ohombo, Ajah, has been completed.
Sanwo-Olu said this in her address at the 2022 International Day of Persons with Disabilities event held on Friday, at Police College, Ikeja.
The governor’s wife was represented by the wife of the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Omotoso.
She said that the project was in partnership with the Lagos State Special Committee on Rehabilitation of Public Secondary Schools, built to facilitate easy movement of the students living with disabilities.
“In today’s world, our society has come to the realisation that physical disability is not inability, therefore, people with disabilities should not be incapacitated from achieving something positive in life.
“These people living with physically disability have talents, they must therefore be provided an enabling environment to realise their full potential in all spheres of human endeavor.
“This is the crux of this celebration today, which is designed to champion the cause of persons with disabilities, an initiative that which has been sustained yearly by the ministry of education.” she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the 2022 theme for IDPD is ‘Transformative Solutions for Inclusive Development; The Role of Innovation in Fueling an Accessible and Equitable World’.
Sanwo-Olu called on stakeholders to continue to embrace initiatives that would empower people living with disabilities.
She said it would enable them to contribute positively and immensely to the socio-economic development of the state and country at large.
According to Sanwo-Olu, the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials has keyed into the vision.
She said that this year’s theme, could not be downplayed considering the fact that the world had become a global village in which technology made it easier for information to travel faster.
“There is a need to take advantage of technological advancement in promoting the rights and social inclusion of persons with disabilities,” she said.
The governor’s wife commended the Ministry of Education for initiating and sustaining the initiative.
“We must continue to challenge all forms of stereotypes and discrimination against persons living with disabilities. it is our collective duty as a people,” she added.
Speaking, the state Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo, emphasised on the need for stakeholders to continue to look for solutions that are innovative and transformative.
Adefisayo said that the state had inclusive schools with some teaching staff who are also living with disabilities.
NAN
