The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, (NCPWD) under the astute leadership of its Executive Secretary, Mr. James David Lalu has organized a 2-day validation workshop of the Five-Year Strategic Plan of the Commission held in Abuja on 3rd and 4th of February, 2022.
The event which drew attendance and participation of leaders of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities, OPDs, Civil Society Organizations, International Development Agencies and other critical stakeholders from the Nigerian Disability Community was in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s resolve for an all inclusive government.
Nevertheless, the Executive Secretary National Commission for Persons with Disabilities Mr. James David Lalu in his keynote address reassured that the Strategic Plan upon validation will capture a wide range of issues that border on better co-existence of persons with disabilities .
He lauded the efforts of the partner organization, Sightsavers and stated that the time was ripe for all stakeholders to come together to ensure that the mandate of the Commission was accomplished.
In a press release signed by Mbanefo JohnMichael I, the head of Media and Publicity, NCPWD, the ES further declared that there is a need for the various CSOs and OPDs to come together to work in harmony and with purpose.
”It was one thing to have pushed for the establishment of the Commission, it is another for all willing partners and disability stakeholders to come together to work collectively in order to ensure that the fortunes of PWDs in the country is turned around”, he said.
Lalu also seized the occasion to reiterate his passion and dedication to the ideals and values upon which the Disability Act and the Commission was founded and stated that it was his determination to ensure that all PWDs would have unfettered access to the broad range of social services that would assure them of better standard of living.
Speaking at the occasion, the Lead, Disability Inclusion desk, Sightsavers, Mr. Rasak Adekoya hinted that the workshop was geared towards validating the draft of the Five-year Strategic Plan of NCPWD.
He said that it is the culmination of an extensive strategic development effort, centered around carving a roadmap for the implementation of the provisions of the Disability Act for the period spanning 2022 to 2026 which involved broad consultation with stakeholders and duty bearers within the disability community.
In the same vein, the Director, Planning Research and Statistics of the Commission, Mr. Soji Adewale in his opening remarks appreciated the tireless efforts of Sightsavers, acknowledging that their commitment to the project was very instrumental to the successful development of the Strategic document.
Earlier in her goodwill message, Ms Onyinye Atuanya of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, (FCDO) thanked the ES for his conscious efforts towards advancing the course of disability community and equally reiterated the commitment of the FCDO to advancing Disability Inclusion.
She stated that Inclusion was a crucial agenda for her organization and formed the centerpiece of FCDO’s Disability Inclusion Strategy (DIS) which was a strong feature of the International Development Strategy (IDS).
She added that the IDS encapsulates the UK plan to offer developing countries including Nigeria, the necessary support to help them build back better in the wake of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Lead consultant, Dr. Toyin Aderemi stated that the Strategic Plan was a well thought-out working document which would serve as an operational instrument that would govern the implementation of the Disability Act and all of the provisions.
She stated that the activities and interventions captured in the document addressed how PWDs could benefit maximally from key activities and services spamming inclusive Education, Quality Healthcare, Economic Empowerment and Social Protection.
She opined that as much as the Document already covered a lot of grounds and was exhaustive, that participants at the workshop should be able to identify one or two areas wherein some inputs could be made, modified and or adjusted to reflect the realities of the challenges faced by PWDs and how the Document could address them.
Participants at the event were sorted into five groups with each group reviewing different parts of the Strategic document and making their inputs and modifications as they deemed appropriate.
The World Bank represented by Ms. Cindy Ikeala also lauded the Commission and her partners for the efforts concerted towards the development of the Strategic Document, declaring that the World Bank remains committed to Disability Inclusive development which she described as directly responsive to the institution’s twin goals of ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity.
She, however reiterated the World Bank’s readiness to support and provide technical assistance to the Commission in the efforts to implement the outlined strategic interventions as captured within the Document.
