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| Omo-Ettu |
The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) and the Lagos State government may be heading on war-path following the recent piece of legislation on ‘Special People’s Law 2011.’
The Lagos State Legislature also
proposed the establishment of the Office of Disability Affairs (ODA) that the
law prescribes as the implementation agency, ATCON thus warned against using
ODA to extort, abuse and focus only on a particular industry or on a set of
employers in the manner of an earlier but very unfair legislation which had to
be challenged in court and put in its proper place.
ATCON’s president and general
secretary, Messrs Titi Omo-Ettu and David Roberts in that order, in a press
statement made available to ITRealms Online expressed the hope that the Office
of Disability Affairs, which the Lagos State is about to establish to implement
this Law, would be up to good and not turn out to be an exuberant organisation
whose attention will only be to make money for the government.
While commending the Lagos State
government over the new law, ATCON noted that its attention has been drawn to
the State Special People’s Law 2011,
which seeks to safeguard people living with disability from all forms of
discrimination and equalise their opportunities in all aspects of living in the
society.
According to ATCON, the Law provides
for protection of the interest of persons who live with disabilities and
particularly addresses the issues of protection for them on matters of access,
employment, privileges and standard of living, among others.
“ATCON commends the Lagos State
Legislature and also the State Executive which, we also understand, is about to
establish the Office
of Disability Affairs that the Law prescribes as the implementation agency,”
they said.
This, they said, is one piece of
legislation which is capable of lifting Nigeria out of a so-called third-world
classification into one which truly counts among those that have climbed into
true civilisation.
“We pledge to support the
implementation of the Law in the hope that its operators implement with a human
face and in the spirit and letter of its objects and prescriptions,” the ATCON
leadership was quoted as saying.
The law, they pointed out, has a
bearing to telecom industry in its prescription on access of persons who live
with disabilities to telecommunications services which it specifically mentions
and indeed access of such persons to all other services which it presents
largely as implied.
ATCON, therefore, drew the attention
of all members and other players in the industry, and indeed all employers of
labour in the land to this Law and commend it to them for uncomplicated
implementation as best as possible in the circumstance.
The association noted that it is
important that other State Governments and indeed the Federal Government take a
lesson from this law and do the needful to ensure its national embrace and
progressive implementation.
ATCON maintained that it certainly
cannot continue to ignore the significant contribution which those who live
with disabilities are capable of bringing into productivity and national
development.
Hence, they prayed that the Office
of Disability Affairs which the Lagos State is about to establish to implement
this law in good order and not turn out to be an exuberant organization. The
group recalled that an earlier but very unfair legislation, of the same Lagos
State, was challenged in court.
Remmy Nweke
ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D
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