Data Collation Will Be The Driving Force To Achieve NCPWDs’ Mandate – James Lalu

Amidst a friendly visit by the African Polling Initiatives (API), today, 15th July, 2021 at NCPWD Headquarters Abuja, the Executive Secretary National Commission for Persons with Disabilities Mr. James David Lalu asserted that data collection and collation would be the driving force if the Commission must achieve its mandate.

Head of Media and Publicity, NCPWD, Mbanefo JohnMichael I revealed this in a press statement made available to our correspondent on Thursday.

The ES reiterated that the mandate of the commission is to continue to protect the rights of PWDs, and uphold the 2018 Act of establishment which gave 5% representation to all Persons with Disabilities to be employed in all government offices across the 36 States of Nigeria. He said accurate data would open up the silent information as regards PWDs.

He further emphasized that data gathering of Persons with Disabilities with diverse demography across the country would assist the Commission in planning adequately to take the right decisions that would benefit the PWDs at every given time.

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Lalu described the courtesy visit as one anticipated considering the antecedents of the African Polling Initiative in terms of data gathering while he promised to work with the Organization. He said that every research or survey conducted always lead to another as the learning curve continues in a sequence.

‘’Learning is part of life; the more we learn, the better we become everyday’’, he said.

In a quick succession, the Associate Director and Spokesman of the delegation, Mr. Olugbenga Ogunmefun expressed his gratitude to the ES for his readiness to collaborate with the Organization in order to generate accurate data that would enhance the achievements and targets of Commission.

Ogunmefun bemoaned the social discrimination against persons with disabilities which he described as inhuman in any form. He said he has had encounters where PWDs were wrongly treated without recourse to their fundamental human rights. He further underscored the rampant occurrence of gender-based violence in different strata of the community of Persons with Disabilities.

Olugbenga lamented that most of the violent acts against PWDs were not adequately reported due to lack of awareness in most remote areas where the crimes were committed.

Another member of the team, Dr. Balogun Isreal mentioned that the Organization is equally in partnership with ROLAC and is ready to develop a diagnostic tool to support the Commission in its legitimate course.