The Federal government has called for more collaboration with local and international partners to improve the welfare of persons with disabilities in the country.
The Executive Secretary National Commission for persons with disabilities, Mr. James Lalu made the call in Abuja at a programme organised by Sight saver Nigeria on disabilities inclusion.
The inclusion work was a consortium of Sight Saver Nigeria, the National Commission with Disabilities, and other partners to address the underrepresentation of Persons Living with Disabilities in formal employment in Nigeria and other countries.
The Executive Secretary, National Commission for Persons with Disabilities Mr. James Lalu stressed that with the passage of the disabilities act, the Nigerian government remained committed to partner organisations willing to support government to achieve its mandate of ensuring that PWDs were self-reliant.
Mr. Lalu explained that this would go a long way to boost the nation’s economic development.
The Country Director, Sight Savers Nigeria, Dr. Sunday Ishaku explained that the ambition of the organisation was to generate evidence on how the labour market could be disability-inclusive.
Dr. Ishaku stressed the need for government to invest more on the inclusion of Persons with Disabilities and measure their economic contribution to businesses.
Other stakeholders at the forum urged Nigerians to stop the discrimination against persons with disabilities but rather tap from their potentials to enable them to compete with their counterparts globally.
Reporting by Florence Adewale, editing by Daniel Adejo