The founder of Benola Cerebral Palsy initiative,AirVice Marshal Femi Gbadebo (rtd), has decried what he calls the government’s neglect of people living with cerebral palsy (CP).
He said parents of such people needed the expertise of professionals to be able to take care of them.
AVM Gbadebo said: “These Nigerians through no fault of theirs, are grossly lacking in the ability to care for themselves and yet what we find is grossly inadequate legislation and in some cases, even a total lack of legislation.
“As a nation, we have the resources, both human and otherwise but for some reasons, we choose not to act. Cerebral Palsy is so uniquely different that you will never find two cases that are exactly alike. What this means is that the management options have to be tailored or made for each individual child and the circumstances around which a parent is willing or able to manage that child.”
He urged parents not to give up on their children with cerebral palsy, saying they should continue to encourage them.
They should continue to work and be the best authority on their children’s condition, he said.
AVM Gbadebo said: “That an infant is born with Cerebral Palsy (CP) is not a death sentence. Similarly, to be a parent with a CP child does not mean that you have reached the end of tunnel. This message is the focus of ‘Benola, a Cerebral Palsy Initiative (BCPI)’ project which is targeted at supporting and improving the lives of children with CP condition and their families. Benola does this by creating awareness and providing education for families of children living with CP on effective management of the condition. We have mapped out on building a facility to international standard that would be able to care, treat and manage individuals with CP. It will also serve as a referral centre.”
He urged government to pay more attention to CP in the country.
Co-Founder, Mrs Alaba Gbadebo, said Benola is committed to change the face of CP in Africa and adding value to the lives of everyone living with disabilities.
Mrs Gbadebo said: “For me and my husband, our experience was the best teacher on Cerebral Palsy (CP). Our son, Olaoluwa was diagnosed of this problem more than 18 years ago. With our experience, we believe the ultimate is to give the disease a face. Olaoluwa was born at 34 weeks of gestation and confirmed to have cerebral palsy when he was less than a year old.
“Most hospitals outside Nigeria could not give him an invitation because he could not be properly assessed. Besides, the foreign hospitals were not able to give the cost implication of his treatment in case he was to be flown abroad for care. In I997, some German doctors confirmed that nothing could be done to cure him. For over nine years, as parents, we sought treatment and better management options. He cannot live independently, but as educated parents, we did our best for him. As a couple, we realised how many more parents are out there battling with conditions such as CP in their children. This was what informed establishing the Benola initiative.”
She called on the Federal Government to support people living with the condition. “The government should provide what it will take for them to have a sense of belonging in the society,” Mrs Gbadebo said.
