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.
Aminat Yahya Bello and her son
Aminat Yahya Bello, and her husband
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.