The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC has commended the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities, (CCD) on its efforts towards ensuring the implementation of the Lagos State Social protection policy (LASSPP) following the validation and dissemination of Desk-top Review and Multi-year Budget Analysis of Social Protection in the state.
The commendation was given at the two-day workshop for Stakeholders, Civil Society Organizations and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) organized by the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD).
While speaking at the workshop, the NHRC Lagos State Coordinator Mr. Lucas Koyejo noted that the NHRC is also working to ensure that the rights of marginalized persons are adequately protected.
He thereafter mentioned that the social protection policy should be taken further from being just a policy but a law that can be transmitted into a right and claimed by every Citizens especially persons with disabilities.
The Executive Director of CCD, David Anyaele who was represented by CCD’s Administration Manager, Florence Austin during his opening remark explained, social protection policy as an intervention designed with the aim of reducing poverty among the vulnerable groups in the civil society.
Austin urged the state government to ensure that this intervention is accessible to the PWD so as to participant on the same table with others.
While sharing information about the overview of the LASSPP, the Executive Secretary of Lagos Civil Society Participation for Development, Mrs Dede Kadiri explained that Social protection is a shock absorbing tool that is provided by society at different level, communities, families, and most importantly by government to ensure that people who experience economy and other types of shock are able to recover from this challenges.
Kadiri advocated that there should be increased funding for social protection programs, to cover PWDs, the most vulnerable, poor women and children.
The activity which is being funded by European Union Agents for Citizens-Driven transformation (EU-ACT), is being implemented by CCD in partnership with Leadership Accountability Professionalism (LEAP Africa), Lagos Civil Society Partnership for Development (LACSOP), Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), and Women Liberation and Transformation Group (W-LIT).