The Country Director of Accountability Lab Nigeria, Mr. Friday Odeh has proposed for the inclusion of all concerns of Persons with disability in the public service reforms.
He made this suggestion during a media chat with The Qualitative Magazine (TQM) at the Integrity Conference organized by Accountability Lab Nigeria in collaboration with Bureau of Public Service Reforms on 23rd and 24th of March, 2022 in Abuja.
He said that public service reforms cannot be completed if the issues of persons with disabilities are not mainstreamed in the reform, all segment of the society needs to be captured and it is important that in everything we do, disability inclusion must be brought to the table.
He assured that integrity conference in future, disability inclusion should form part of the topics in other to get the public servants have the foundational knowledge of Disability Inclusion.
“Accountability Lab Nigeria understands the importance of Disability Inclusion that’s why we invited some of partner Organizations of Persons With Disabilities(OPDs) so that they can make input to the entire discussion. Graciously, some points were raised on Disability Inclusion but subsequently, we will make arrangement to lay the foundation of Disability Inclusion among public servants”.
He also said that with partnership with Organization of Persons with Disabilities like TQM, subsequently, there would be introduction of disability inclusion to integrity icon award winners, as role models, they can also serve as promoters of Disability Inclusion in their various offices.
He assured that in integrity icon event, OPDs should be invited to speak on Disability Inclusion to the understanding of the icons and by so doing, they will begin to understand issues about persons with disabilities.
Earlier in the event, the Executive Director of The Qualitative Magazine TQM and Secretary General, Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities(JONAPWD)FCT, Agbo Chris Obiora spoke about how important the integrity is to persons with disabilities saying that it is integrity on the part of the public servants that will aid the implementation of laws, policies and Programmes by MDAs. He alluded that corruption has contributed in no small measure to the causes of Disability citing example of bad roads which has become death traps and the survivors of the road crashes as a result of bad roads end up having one Disability or the other.
He advised that public servants when they have integrity, they are contributing towards allevating of the sufferings faced by persons with disabilities.
There are other persons with disabilities who were also invited at the event.
TQM reports that Integrity Conference has in attendance over 100 public servants from different sectors who came to chat a way forward on how Nigeria can run a corruption free public service.
Integrity Icon award winners were also at the event and they shared how they have managed to be upright in discharging of their duties even in the face of pressures and temptations.
SOME PICTURES OF THE EVENT
