Wife of the Kogi State Governor, Barrister Amina Yahaya Bello has revealed the many evils meted out to physically challenged children in the society.
Founder of the Hayat Foundation, Barrister Bello, who desires to create a haven for physically challenged children, confessed she was advised to kill her son who suffers from cerebral palsy.
With stigmatization from friends and some family members who mocked her for having a son who has cerebral palsy, Bello confessed she was advised to inject her son with a lethal substance to end the insults.
She said, “There is the stigma which starts from your immediate environment. People will be whispering when a child with special needs or his parents are around. This has made a lot of parents to live in depression. This is the reason why some parents choose to live in denial and lock up such children. I was advised to inject my son with harmful substance and some people advised me to take him to the village.”
Urging government (states and federal) to enforce the provision of wheelchairs for physically challenged children, Bello said the Hayat Foundation will establish an institute that will focus on severe cases of cerebral palsy and open a training centre for behavioural and occupational therapists.
Also, she called on government to make it compulsory for schools to provide wheelchairs for affected kids.
“Schools which discriminate against children who are living with physical and developmental challenges should be shut down. Before you set up a school, it must be accessible to these children with special needs. You must have special teachers or therapists in every class and of course you should be certified fit to open a school for special needs children,” she said.