The General Manager of the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs, Mrs Adenike Oyetunde-Lawal today hosted the team from the Social Protection Department of the Lagos State Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget led by the Head of the department, Mrs. Oluwakemi Adedeji.
While welcoming the team to her office, the General Manager of LASODA emphasised the need for the department to work hand-in-hand with the Agency towards ensuring the realisation of the social protection objectives
She submitted that several interventions have been embarked upon by LASODA in line with the Lagos State Social Protection policy with the implementation of programmes aimed at championing the cause of Persons with Disabilities.
While highlighting the unique needs of PWDs and the severity of disability type as well as the challenges of catering to their specific needs, the LASODA Boss pointed out that policies and programmes need to be coordinated to address those issues.
Her words, “The severity of disability determines the type of services to be rendered to people with disabilities; the dwarf may look all fine but their structure often requires special attention to ensure too much pressure is not heaped on their waist which could lead to severe complications.
“We are working on the digitisation of our data and we will ensure we synergise with the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget in line with the various measures already highlighted”, she added
Earlier in her remark, the team lead from the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, Mrs. Oluwakemi Adedeji urged LASODA to ensure that its programmes are designed to promote inclusive society and social protection of all PWDs regardless of status.
According to her, “Our duty is to ensure that all MDAs align with the social protection policy of Lagos State. We want to have a figure of what the state government achieved in the social protection space seeing to it that every vulnerable member of the society be it in Epe or wherever may feel the impact of government protection and care.
“Your office is responsible for the overall well-being of Persons with Disabilities, that is your focus and you must ensure your programmes address their specific needs”.
Explaining further, she said social protection is a mix of policy and programmes designed in the life cycle of an individual to help improve their livelihood and provide a life of dignity for vulnerable members of society, which is a critical approach to reducing poverty.
The team lead further explained that the Social Protection premise is built on five important pillars which are Social Assistance, Social Care, Social Insurance, Labour Market Intervention and System Strengthening.
Other members of the team include Mr. Semiu Yusuf, Mrs. Oluwatosin Oladunjoye, Mrs. Mujibat Dabiri, and Mrs. Ayodele Fajemibolu.