LASODA WELCOMES COLLABORATION WITH NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR REFUGEES, IDPs

The General Manager of the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA), Mrs Adenike Oyetunde-Lawal, recently, hosted the team from the National Commission for Refugee, Migrants and IDPs (NCFRMI) led by its Southwest Zonal Coordinator, Mr. Alexandra Oturu on a courtesy visit to the Agency at Alausa Ikeja.

Addressing the visitors, Oyetunde-Lawal reaffirmed the Agency’s dedication to prioritising the welfare of Persons with Disabilities and emphasised its eagerness to collaborate with relevant organisations driving the cause of PWDs.

She outlined the Agency’s open-door policy and expressed readiness to work with relevant entities in alignment with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s Themes Plus Agenda of inclusivity for PWDs regardless of their location across Lagos State. 

Speaking on ways to reach out to PWDs in the Refugee camps, the LASODA boss pointed out that the Agency remains dedicated to advancing the cause of Persons with Disabilities regardless of whether they live in Refugee camps or not. 

“We will look at ways to assist persons with disabilities with Skills Acquisition and other Developmental programmes to aid their inclusion into the society to enable them to live a meaningful life”, she said.

Earlier, Mr. Oturu said the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) is an agency in Nigeria responsible for managing the affairs of refugees, migrants, and internally displaced persons (IDPs). 

He said the Commission seeks to collaborate with the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs to enable them to cater to the specific needs of Persons with Disabilities in the refugee camps, stressing that it would further help to fully integrate them into society 

In his words, “We are here today to explore possible areas of collaboration and support to ensure that people with disabilities in the refugee camps are provided with aids to ease them into the society. We have collaborated with organisations like the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), among several others”.

Expressing NCFRMI’s readiness for collaboration, Oturu said that NCFRMI plays a crucial role in safeguarding the rights and well-being of refugees, migrants, and internally displaced persons by providing essential support to those who have been forced to leave their homes due to conflict, persecution, or natural disasters through provisions of necessities, legal protection and humanitarian aid.

Other members of the NCFRMI visiting team include Mrs. Zainab Olaleye and Mr. Julius Olubajo.