The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has urged residents to stop discriminating against People With Disabilities but instead encourage them to be the best version of themselves.
The governor made the call on Saturday during the 2022 entrepreneurship and empowerment programme to commemorate the International Day of Persons Living with Disabilities held in Ikeja.
Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Youths and Social Development, Mr Olusegun Dawodu, said the purpose of the intervention programme was to empower PWDs with various devices to ease their movement and participation in society.
He said, “I call on parents, neighbours and the people of Lagos State at large to look at PWDs positively and not discriminate against them. The majority, if not all PWDs, are resourceful in their areas of expertise despite their disability status.
“Most of them are even more intelligent than those of us that are able-bodied. Rather than discriminate against them, we should encourage them to be the best version of themselves. Devices such as wheelchairs, guide canes, hearing aids, motorised wheelchairs, cerebral palsy chairs, braille embossers, and laptops are among the many aids we distributed to them today.”
Also speaking at the event, the General Manager of the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs, Mr Dare Ogundairo said. “Empowerment funds have also been arranged to increase the capacity of existing businesses of PWDs to allow them to be independent and eventually become employers of labour.”
