Parents with children living with cerebral palsy in Kwara state have called on the state government to provide tuition-free education, as they lamented societal stigma and neglect of their wards.
Speaking with journalists at an event marking this year’s Cerebral Palsy Day at the state ministry of Social Development in Ilorin on Monday, the parents said that the nation’s present socio-economic situation had worsened the condition of their children.
One of the parents, Mrs Afolabi Shukrat Jumoke, said that, ‘it’s not easy carrying and taking these children out. We want the state government to take full responsibility for the physiotherapy treatment of these children.
‘They use diapers, and the drugs they take are quite expensive. Most private schools don’t take them’, she lamented.
Also, Mrs Olubunmi Aina said the children face rejection in private schools across the state, adding that, ‘even where they are considered, some other parents always threaten to withdraw their children from the school. So this situation leaves the school proprietors with no choice but to later reject those living with cerebral palsy’.
She added that the victims of cerebral palsy also suffer rejection at public places like barbing salon and restaurants, among many others.
‘Giving birth to this child has brought me closer to God. I’ve turned a barber because of him. Many Barbing salon won’t do his hair. Many people refuse to do their hair as if it’s contagious’.
They implored the state government to come to their rescue by subsidising the needed drugs for their children and to embark on public awareness to check societal stigma.
Speaking earlier, the state commissioner for Social Development, Dr Mariam NnaFatima Imam, said that cerebral palsy victims deserve understanding, respect, and equal opportunity.
The commissioner said that the event talked, ‘not only of the challenges faced by our champions, but also of their strength, resilience, and extraordinary potential.
‘Cerebral palsy is not a limitation of the human spirit. It is a call for understanding, inclusion, and shared responsibility. It urges us to look beyond disability and see ability; to look beyond challenges and recognise possibility,’ she said.
According to her, the ministry has enrolled some people living with Cerebral Palsy in the state’s Health Insurance Scheme ‘to ensure they have access to quality healthcare.
‘We have also equipped parents and guardians with refined, income-generating skills in tie and dye, resin artistry, and POS enterprise management, further complemented by financial support designed to help them transform these skills into sustainable, independent and thriving ventures’, she said.
The convener, Ifeoluwa Anishe, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Ifeoluwa Cerebral Palsy Initiative, described the day as a moment of hope and unity.
He called for the inclusion of adults living with cerebral palsy in the political scheme, ‘they deserve inclusion, dignity, and equal opportunities’, he said.
The CEO of Toomore School for Basic and Vocational and Special Needs, Reverend Samuel Ajayi, commended the state government and the convener.
He said he had learnt a lot that would enable him to improve in running his charity school.
Meanwhile, Dr Sholagbade Rasheedat from the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) lectured on the reasons for cerebral palsy, its management and prevention.