Sodiq Ojuroungbe
The Lagos State Government has announced plans to renovate the abandoned Ketu Special Children’s Centre to cater to children living with disabilities.
This development followed the PUNCH Healthwise investigative report which exposed how the centre was abandoned by the government for over 13 years, leaving parents with children with special needs in the state to bear the burden of raising these children alone.
PUNCH Healthwise in the report with the headline, ‘Inside Lagos abandoned special children’s centre where reptiles, dogs thrive’, published on Sunday, December 1, 2024, chronicled how the facility was built with the vision of providing care, support, and specialised services to children with special needs, had become a home for dogs and reptiles.
Reacting to the report on Thursday, the state’s Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mobolaji Ogunlende, claimed that the government did not abandon the Ketu Special Children’s Centre.
The commissioner in a statement made available to our correspondent, stated that the decision to shut down the centre was made after a thorough examination revealed the need for renovation, rehabilitation, and restructuring.
He claimed that the children were relocated to the Children Correctional Centre for Junior Boys, Yaba, where they receive specialised care, support, and services.
The commissioner stressed that the government was committed to social inclusion, particularly for persons with disabilities.
He noted that the state had laws to protect children and PWDs, as well as an agency dedicated to catering to their needs.
Ogunlende assured that the renovation of the Ketu Special Children’s Centre remains a priority, adding however, it requires careful planning and execution to ensure the facility is safe and conducive for the children.
Our correspondent in the report examined how many children with special needs, who once received care at the Ketu Special Children’s Centre were now battling for survival in the hands of their parents who often treat them with disdain due to poor knowledge about their condition.
The children’s care home located in Mile 12 in Kosofe Local Government Area of the state built under the administration of Babatunde Fashola, had been overrun with weeds and overgrown grasses during the last visit by PUNCH Healthwise.
It was also gathered that this neglect had led to the deaths of many children, with some becoming the subject of ridicule in markets and public places.
The national president of the Association for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities of Nigeria, Mrs Joko Dawodo-Omotola, during the investigation, told our correspondent that the children, including those from areas like Ketu and Ikorodu, were sent to a facility in Yaba, far from home and difficult to access, especially for families with children in wheelchairs.
It was learnt that the Yaba centre was already overcrowded, and many families could not afford the transportation costs.
For many parents, the logistical challenges were simply too great. Unable to bear the expenses of travel, therapy, and medical care, many families were reportedly forced to keep their children at home, where their health deteriorated.
Dawodo-Omotola lamented that with no access to the therapies the children once received, their conditions deteriorated.
Speaking further about the terrible state of the home, the AIDDN president expressed her frustration, describing the once-thriving centre as a beacon of hope for children with special needs.
She explained, “You know, for intellectual and developmental disabilities, there are paramount needs, especially when it comes to health needs is the therapy. All of them have to go through therapy.
“Whether you are CP, or you have Down syndrome, or you’re autistic, or you have dyslexia, or you have the AHDA, no matter the one you have, you have to go through therapy. And all these facilities were there. And there is no other centre, except for Modupe Cole. They knew Modupe Cole could not accommodate any other person, and that was why they sent them to Yaba.”
“So, these children, their bones, all the bones they were working on, they have now become stiff. And then with age, we are starting all over again the therapies for them. And it is not for all of them, because it involves money.
“You have to pay for the therapies, you have to buy the assistive devices that are needed to complement whatever therapy that you are assessing in the hospital. And then we should not forget about their monthly medications, which are very expensive. Some of them are on medication, and it lasts for a month. About three years ago, they were paying about N35,000 for the pills, on the tablets that they will use. Each child, and we’re talking of indigent parents, who are mostly single parents”, she added.
“So, you can see the hardship. At the end of the day, they stopped doing the therapy. Because even if you have somebody who has paid for your therapy, what about the transportation of taking the child from your home to the hospital, that is another problem.
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