International Conference on Disabled Children Finds Lack of Services

by Paul Ejime, Pan African News Agency Correspondent (December 2, 1999)

ABUJA, Nigeria (PANA) - An international conference on disabled children in Nigeria has called for the setting up of a national commission on disabilities. There are an estimated eight million disabled people in the country with a population of 111 million.

The three-day conference decried the neglect of people with disabilities by the government and civil society. Noting that this amounted to a great loss of human talent and productivity, the conference communique said that this had been compounded by the negative attitudes, beliefs and apathy of the Nigerian public to the plight of disabled children.
 

Program Highlights

Some 21 papers on various issues related to disability were presented at the conference officially opened by President Olusegun Obasanjo and attended by such prominent people as UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy.
Three million of the eight million handicapped people in Nigeria are said to be below 19 years of age.

Identifying causes of disabilities in the country to include poverty, ignorance, illiteracy and some cultural practices, the experts recommended greater community participation and the involvement of all stakeholders to empower children with disabilities.

They also called for counselling services, provision of relevant academic programmes, vocational skills and pastoral care.

The communique also called for a nation-wide study to provide reliable data highlighting the magnitude of the problem and possible solutions. Parents and guardians of disabled children should also be encouraged to form associations to facilitate exchange of ideas on effective parenthood and upbringing of disabled children.

The experts further called for laws to provide people with special needs access to public buildings and other utilities in the furtherance of the rights of the disabled.

(Details: www.africanews.org/PANA/news/19991202/feat15)