The Lagos State government has said as part of its efforts to promote inclusiveness in the state, it has trained some of its workers, law enforcement agents, and other stakeholders in sign language communication.
The General Manager of the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs, Mr Oluwadamilare Ogundairo, stated this on Wednesday, during the 2022 sign language training workshop held in Lagos.
He said, “The idea of this training is to make Lagos truly an inclusive mega city that is welcome to all; where everybody can aspire to come and live as long as they can abide by the law. Today, under the THEMES agenda of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos is no longer in competition with any state in Nigeria, we are looking at global standards and if we must get there, it must be inclusive for all.
“In Nigeria today, we have to take the issue of people with disability very seriously and it is a critical component of governance and sustainable development and the right way to go. In Lagos, we have to keep doing this so that MDAs and people like law enforcement agents and parastatals that deal with the public are equipped to be able to adequately communicate with people with disability in Lagos State. Most of the countries we are trying to compete with have scaled those things we are still grappling with for more than 30 to 50 years ago.”
Ogundairo added that the agency had also trained workers in the financial sector in sign language.
“If banking officials can communicate with their significant population and we promise to further its engagement with other sectors,” he said.