Institution for Children with Special Needs, first in Africa, to takeoff in Ogbomoso, Makinde, Soun hail initiative
Lanre OKE
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The turning of sod ceremony for a new institution that will cater for children with disabilities (special needs) in diverse ways was held Tuesday in Oolo town, Oriire local government area of Ogbomoso zone Oyo state.
The institution a brainchild of a non-governmental organisation, Olufunke Adeloye Konsults (OAKonsults) Outreach, is conceived, according to its Chief Responsiblity Officer (CRO) Mrs Olufunke Adeloye, “as a centre that will bring out the possibilities in children with disabilities.”
The institution, that will be sitting on a 35 acre-land gifted free by Oloolo of Oolo HRM Oba Michael Oyegbami Ajayi Oyebunmi IV, will be a comprehensive one with state-of-the-art facilities as found overseas.
The CRO, Mrs. Adeloye informed the centre will admit children with disabilities from age 0 – 25 years and that it will have boarding facilities, healthcare facilities, rehabilitation and therapy facilities couple with other facilities that children with disabilities will need, to help to nurture and care for them in a dignified way.
“Our care will be with dignity and one that fits the potentials of any child or young persons, not particularly because of what they cannot do but what they can do. Children with autism, learning disabilities etc can be nurtured and cared for.”
Mrs Adeloye , further informed that the idea was birthed to commemorate the experience her family had with one of their daughters, Abigail Adeloye, who suffered disability at 18 months which led to brain damage due to what she called “medical mismanagement” in a Nigerian hospital.
The girl (now late) had to be taken to the United Kingdom for proper care. Abigail remained in the UK for the next 14 years confined to hospital beds receiving treatment and care, most times on life support before finally passing away last October at 16.
“I am doing this today because of that girl Abigail. When we first got to the UK she didn’t have a good prognosis, the doctors told us she would not pass age 5, when she exceeded that age they said probably she won’t reach double digit age,. But Abigail pushed back on life beyond what anybody could think. She was on life support probably 12 to 13 times. She went through different schools, she was able to walk again. This is because there was a system that allows that kind of input. She showed resilience and strength.”
Adeloye, who was accompanied to the ground breaking occasion by her husband, mother and mother-in-law, whom she said stood by her and Abigail during their travail, asserted however that the initiative is being driven by many stories like that of her late child, stressing such children needed to be adequately nurtured with love and care to bring the best out of them as she added, “Such children, with autism, learning disabilities etc, some of them can be creative, can do art, and all that, but because we allow the negative aspects of disabilities to overshadow every other thing we lose sight of the quality of life they could actually have.
“So, whether they have a long or short life, they could have a beautiful life. So, how can we support them so we can empower them to do whatever they can do. That is what we want to do with the centre.”
She consequently solicited for the support of everybody to build the facility stating, “for every child that has disability there is something in them to be discovered. We can save other families the challenges we had when medical mismanagement led to brain damage in my own daughter. If we can prevent future occurrences with good diagnoses, so early enough, other families and children will not have to go through that.
“However, if we are not able to prevent that how can we nurture such children without traveling out of the shores of Nigeria? We are appealing for everybody to come along with us. This is not the story of Abigail alone it is the story of many children. We can’t continue to pretend as if we don’t have children with disabilities. So, we want to break the stereotype, we want to change the narrative, I was not ashamed of my daughter, let’s embrace such children. We want to build a place where life could be lived abundantly for them.”
When interviewed by newsmen, she assured construction would begin in earnest and that they are looking the centre would begin operations in three years though they had a five-year plan. “It will be residential with 250 children on site, and at least one thousand children cared for annually in view of the different facilities we are going to have. It is a multi-billion naira project. It is not going to be educational alone, we are going to have health centre where we could do diagnosis, where we could do therapy, where we could do rehabilitation and all that, there are so many things that will be going on. The facility will be unique the first of its kind in Sub-Sahara Africa.
Many dignitaries witnessed the event including the Oyo state governor Engr Seyi Makinde represented by Rev’d Dr Dele Oyedokun (Inspector General of Education/Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education Ogbomoso zone 1); wife of Deputy Governor of Osun state, Dns. Olusola Adewusi; Rev’d Professor Stephen Ola Ayankeye (President of the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary NBTS Ogbomoso) represented by Rev’d Professor Mrs Ayo Obiremi, Deputy President Advancement; Director General of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission, Dr Seye Oyeleye represented by Mrs. Oluyode Agnes, and clergymen.
Also present were the Soun of Ogbomosoland HIM Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye Orumogege III, Oloolo of Oolo HRM Oba Michael Oyegbami Ajayi Oyebunmi IV, Alajaawa of Ajaawa HRM Oba Thompson Oyetunji Adeyeye, Asipa of Odeolowo Kingdom Lagos state, Prince Deji Irawo (a member of the Advisory Board of OAK Foundation)among others.
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Governor Makinde, Oba Olaoye Orumogege III, the DAWN Commission, the NBTS (with which OAK Foundation has had collaboration with since 2020 through training of Baptist ministers at the institution), the Oloolo and others all commended the initiative while pledging support as well as soliciting others to rally round the initiator to make the vision a reality.
Oloolo expressed gratitude to the Soun for his fatherly support and for recognizing Oolo as an integral part of the Ogbomoso area, unlike previous rulers who he said treated Oolo with neglect. He emphasized his belief in the vision of OAK, which inspired him to release the land free of charge to support people with special needs and also to contribute to Oolo’s development.
The monarch also urged everyone who discriminates against or feels ashamed of people with special needs to reflect on Abigail’s story, “which brought us all together today” pointing out that “Abigail whom some might have once considered insignificant—has united royal fathers, the wife of a deputy governor, representative of a governor, and other dignitaries, thereby bringing honor and recognition to her family across Nigeria.”
This as the Soun noted, “This is inspiring, we will collaborate with OAK to ensure this succeeds. Many would have been angry with God for such condition befalling their child but not the Adeloyes they rather are turning it into something profitable. It is like Samson saying he got honey from a dead lion. Their daughter lived a few years with such challenge but it was for a purpose and it is what has started manifesting today,” as he commended Oloolo for the release of land free for the project.
