By NewsDesk
The Association of Lawyers with Disability (ALDIN) Lagos state chapter, has called of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to revisit the modalities being use to share the food items aimed to cushioning the effect of restriction placed on movement to curtail the spread of coronavirus in the state.
It explained that the revision had become imperative following negative impact posed by the lockdown to its members, adding that the alleged sabotage in the distribution of the food items had rendered useless the noble plan of the government.
The state Chairman of ALDIN, Abolarinwa Salami, who decried exclusion of peoples living with physical disabilities from the gesture, urged the Governor to ensure that the distribution of 20,000 packages is done through their representatives across the local government in the state.
Salami, in a statement he personally signed and released to newsmen on Wednesday, noted that majority of their members were yet to receive the stimulus packages, even after responding in affirmation to the text message from LASRRA requesting them to confirm their interests in the food packages.
“It took the extra efforts of the Joint National Association of persons with Disabilities, Lagos State Chapter to get one hundred packs of the COVID-19 food to be distributed throughout the state. This is just like a drop of water in the ocean. The population of PWDS resident in Lagos living below the poverty level is in hundreds of thousands.
The group Chairman also urged the governor to ensure that those with hearing impairment are carried along in the safety campaigns against Covid-19, while calling him to ensure that more attention is paid to the vulnerable in the society.
“Therefore, we demand as follows: release of twenty thousand (20,000) covid-19 food packages for persons with disabilities in Lagos state at one thousand (1000) packages per local government to be distributed in colaboration with representatives of pwds themselves; Pwds are closely consulted with an actively involved in the planning, implementation, distribution and monitoring of covid-19 prevention and containment measures; ensure that states safeguard the provision of food/medicine and other supplies for persons with disabilities during situations of isolation and quarantine; To ensure that priority be given to address situation of poverty and deprivation of persons with disabilities in their crisis management plans and provide covid-19 prevention and caution materials in accessible formats for pwds,” the statement read.
