The Lagos State branch of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has pledged its commitment to protect the rights and privileges of persons with disabilities (PWDs).

The Lagos State Commandant, Mr Adedotun Keshinro, made the pledge through his Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Corps Oluwaseun Abolurin, at the closing ceremony of the three-day Policy Implementation Forum organised by the Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Nigeria (AIDDN), with the theme: ‘Policy for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities’.

Keshinro added that the pledge was in line with the directive of the Commandant General of NSCDC, Dr Ahmed Abubakar, to the strategic formations of the service, to provide special desk offices capable of seamlessly encountering and interacting with PWDs at various critical national assets and infrastructure points and other public locations.

He stated that his compliance with the Commandant General’s directive since he assumed office is evident in the areas of training desk officers across various formations of the command, awareness campaigns, regular interactions.

And provision of support to various clusters of PWDs when they have demands that require the protection of their rights and privileges.

He said: “The Lagos State Commandant said that the Corps is concerned with providing intellectually sound and other practical assistive measures that could help bring succour to the issues surrounding the policy goals of PWDs and Idiopathic Inflammatory Demyelinating Diseases (IIDDs), such as health and well-being, education and skill development, employment and economic inclusion, social protection and community support.”

The Lagos Commandant further said that one of the channels through which the Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and other clusters can also drive a solid and implementable policy goal is by ensuring collaboration with relevant stakeholders such as the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA), ministries, departments and agencies, traditional institutions, the private sector, the media, religious bodies and, of course, the NSCDC and other relevant security services in the state.

In her remarks, the National President of AIDDN, Mrs Omotola Jokotola, affirmed that the Association’s partnership with the Lagos State Command dated back to a few years ago.

the guardian