Skip to main content

THE RUDE AWAKENING ABOUT NIGERIA: BEYOND DISABILITIES

It pains me to say that “Nigeria may take a while before it gets better” 

I volunteered for a foundation’s outreach “Bridges not barriers” by Cradle Lounge Initiatives. This was organized to spread awareness of Autism in the Ikoyi/ Obalende area and wow!


First of all, there are thousands of people in Nigeria who are diagnosed with Autism and do not know. 

The responses I obtained from the area residents do not differ from those I have encountered in other places or on social media, but it was more depressing. 

Some had opinions that Autism is attributed to a mental illness. Some went as far as to say it’s madness.

Sigh. It’s 2024 and there are still misconceptions despite the various ongoing advocacies. 

We encountered someone on the spectrum on the road, pacing around, clearly intoxicated and my heart started to beat hard. I thought “If anything should happen to my family and my little brother is left alone, what will happen?” 

I can think of a million things that may have happened to that young man roaming the road; his parents may have abandoned him because they wouldn't have known the problem. 


Oh, and because of how unreliable the country is with respecting and protecting children, he probably had no choice but to stay on the streets. As you know, the "streets" are not for the faint-hearted. One will develop life-threatening habits and health conditions.  

It’s sad. 

Don’t get me started on the homeless situation in the country. Guess what? A quarter of the homeless are disabled persons. But let’s leave the disabled community and talk about the children and the nursing mothers. I pass through Adeniran Ogunsanya and see so many children who are meant to be in school, begging from strangers. 

And I wonder how someone will live on the road with the scorching sun and heavy rainfall. 

And get this, the government’s priority is changing the National anthem?

Once again, it’s sad. 

Speaking to people at Obalende opened my eyes; some mothers are confused about their autistic one’s behavior and worried about where to run. I think about the financial burden that comes with special needs and I almost think it’s impossible.  

Let’s say you want to give your special child everything, but if you’re not wealthy or possess a good job, I’m afraid to say that it may be impossible. Because of this, parents are forced to send their children to mainstream schools for neurotypicals. Newsflash, whether they are on the spectrum, with a physical disability or visual impairment, they may not learn so much. 

 The policy on education needs to change; there should be special educators in EVERY school in Nigeria. Sign language should be taken as a subject in secondary school (Yes, because the hard-of-hearing community is very large); The Government needs to provide basic and affordable education, not just for persons with special needs, but for everyone. It’s tough out there. 

Between you and I, I honestly wish I had high hopes for special needs persons getting free education; because I wonder… “if the neurotypical don’t go to school, what would make a man in government think of the Neurodiverse ones”

In conclusion to my rant, these are the kinds of issues that make me think, “What if you were in Government?” 

It is not an easy task to govern a state or rule over a community/ society. If you are a genuinely good person, you will be tempted by some vultures in your team (God forbid they are your superiors). 

If you are not strong on your values, you may end up working for the bad side. 

I hope God raises men and women who can turn the situation around in the country- not just in the disability space, but in other areas. People are starving, the prices of food items are unbelievable, Children are roaming the roads instead of being in classrooms; Adults are ruining their lives by getting addicted to all sorts and indirectly, affecting other lives.

Oh, you disagree with that? Imagine a young man under the influence of hard drugs and a young woman in a lonely street- Mind you, this man has no form of self-control. What do you think would happen? 

It doesn’t matter if you do not agree with me. But you can agree that we need serious assistance in this country, but first of all, there needs to be a mindset shift.  

I pray this blog post stirs something in you. You will be intent on making life better for others. 

The team
If you want to be a part of what Cradle Lounge is doing in Autism awareness, please reach out to toyinodunuyi@yahoo.com or on IG @solapeazazi

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

EASTER SUNDAY- THE DAY JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD AND THE DAY I THOUGHT OF SUICIDE

I believe in the opinion that everyone has thought of suicide, and you can argue, but you know deep down, something may have happened to you to make you say, “I’m going to end it all.” But let’s talk about something that happened to me. Now, this article is not to scare you, or to make me seem easily influenced by the other voice. It is to remind you of three things. One, bottling emotions is not good.  Two, the role of caregiving for someone with a disability is not something that is your sole responsibility. Three, the devil is a bastard.  Okay, let's get into it. If you’ve been following my space, you probably know that I have a brother with Autism. As much as it is a beautiful experience, it is very scary. Whenever my brother is coming to the house from school, we ‘ Tobi-proof ’ the house, meaning that we have to hide some things, lock some things up, and it is quite a lot.  See also: Choosing Love as a neurotypical sibling Long story short. I had a meltdown on Sunda...
Post a Comment
Read more

CREATING A COMMUNITY OF AWE-TISM ADVOCATES: FIRST TIME SPEAKER!

 Last year, I prayed that I would be part of the speakers for the GT-Bank Annual Autism Programme and I got an opportunity! As a chronic overthinker and scaredy cat, I began to worry if I would be able to do it. Everyone knows Public speaking is not my best forte. I couldn’t raise my voice in a group of ten, why would I be able to do it with over 300 people in the room and more virtually? Despite the voices in my head and my tailor trying to mess up my life the day before, I promised myself that I would let nothing bother me.  Nothing. This year’s theme is creating a community of Awe-tism Advocates and I couldn’t love it much more. This was the exact one I wanted to go into. To be honest, I cannot seem to understand how GT bank had been able to plan something so perfect. Everything was perfect for me from the dance and drama presentation by Corporate dance world, to the end of the two-day conference.  I was part of the panel discussion "It takes with a village", this mea...
Post a Comment
Read more

Empower Voices for Autism

  Why is it very important to empower voices for Autism? There it is! Gt Bank has done it againnnn… It’s one thing when you’re doing everything you can to be aware of a neurodevelopmental disorder, it’s another to make sure others can be aware.  This is my fifth year attending the GT bank Autism conference.  Check out the past year’s post:  Creating a community to Awe-Tism Advocates And every year I go, I am so empowered and  also filled with hope. Hundreds of people attend to know more about autism, to find ways how they can help their children or students. This year’s theme focuses on inspiring confidence in individuals with autism to reach their full potential in their preferred sector, whether art or music.  I’ll start with the dance drama which was… Amazing! Mind you, I’m going to be using that term a lot. The actor in the stage play was a very talented photographer. The moral of the riveting story was that people would always try to take credit for wh...
Post a Comment
Read more

Special Education!

  It is a hard pill to swallow but children with developmental disorders are often not recognized in society.  Yes, I said it! Special education is a unique educational program for students who have mental, physical, and emotional challenges.  These children require special and unique teaching approaches. Sometimes, these approaches take place outside a regular classroom setting. Special-needs children refer to children who have some  sensory challenges.  Some of these challenges are common to children with Autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, Cerebral palsy, hearing impairments, developmental delay, intellectual disability, emotional disturbance, visual impairment, and much more. It’s unfair that children are placed in regular classrooms and are forced to learn the way neurotypical children are.  My brother once attended a school for neurotypical children.  This was a time when we weren’t sure about his diagnosis. I could tell that it was hard fo...
Post a Comment
Read more