James David Lalu: Still Making Case for Persons with Disabilities
By Mukhtar Ya’u Madobi
The statistic of people with disabilities (PWDs) in Nigeria is estimated to be around 31million individuals. Women were believed to have constituted larger part of this population with special needs.
The Discrimination Against Persons with Disability (Prohibition) Act 2018 among other things, empowered the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) to promote, protect and prioritize the rights of persons with disabilities, and to further enhance their productivity through education, health and other socio-economic activities of the state.
This can only be achieved through achieving and maintenance of robust relationship and collaboration between the commission and stakeholders including other agencies.
Ever since he assumed office in August 2020, Mr. James David Lalu npom, the Pioneer Executive Secretary and the Chief Executive Officer of the Commission has been going round across the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA) for a courtesy visits in order to seek partnership on how to improve the lives of persons with disabilities in Nigeria.
These kind of advocacy visits by Lalu does not end within government parastatals alone, but instead got extended to include Non-Governmental Organizations and other charitable foundations who are willing to join hands in this kind of humanitarian activities.
It is not surprising that these efforts have been yielding the much anticipated results as person with disabilities have since started reaping the benefits turn by turn from different angles.
Recently, another Landmark achievement was recorded as aviation authorities in Nigeria set the stage for complying with 2018 Disability Law aimed at providing improved, better and special service delivery for the persons with disabilities intending to travel by air locally or outside Nigeria.
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This scintillating news was disclosed by Mr Lalu when the team management of Center for Ability Rehabilitation and Empowerment Foundation (CARE) paid a courtesy call at his office in the late October.
The NCPWD boss appreciated the doggedness of the Organization in restoring hope to PWD air travellers by working tirelessly at the Disability Desk established at the Airports.
Lalu also pledged that the Commission will procure more motorized equipments for seamless mobility and boarding of PWDs at Airports.
Furthermore, in order to ensure the smooth continuity of this project, Lalu expressed his desire to also permanently deployed some staff including Sign Language Interpreters of the Commission to the Desk offices so as to ease the task.
In his remarks, the Executive Director, CARE Foundations, Dr. Chike Okogwu narrated the assistive measures put in place by Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to facilitate special consideration for PWDs traveling by Air.
These include but not limited to “PWDs VIP seats, mobility facilities/equipment, reserved car parking spaces at Airports across the country and host of others.
According to the Dr Okogwu, “Handlers at the Airports now assist PWDs get on board easily with their luggage.” Interestingly, he also mentioned that, a provision for ambi-lift and surface elevator was made in order to assist people moving with wheelchair at the Airport.
Not only that, Lalu’s commitment has also made it possible for persons suffering from albinism to get special treatment as they are immediately accompanied to a reserved space away from sunlight as soon as they arrive at the Airport.
It is obvious that Lalu’s diligence towards sustained advocacy campaigns for the PWDs is a success one. However, more achievements are in pipelines as the man is on a mission to salvage disabled Nigerians out of their hardships.
Mukhtar is a Staff Writer with the Emergency Digest
