By Adeyinka Adeniran
The Chief Responsibility Officer for OaKonsult Disabilities Outreach, Mrs Olufunke Adeloye has explained the rationale behind the decision to build a special home for children with disabilities.
Adeloye lost lost her daughter, Abigail, few monhs ago. She recounted that her daughter was medically mismanaged at 18 months old but was better managed in the United Kingdom, where she eventually lived for 14years before her (Abigail) death.
She said the decision and passion to build the new centre is to provide a platform for care and attention to children with disabilities, give them an opportunity for life and also provide a support system for the parents of such children.
She spoke in a remark on Tuesday at the groundbreaking ceremony of Oak Centre Prime, located at Oolo Town, along Oyo- Ogbomosho Expressway, Oriire local government, Ogbomosho, Oyo state.
The event had in attendance the representative of the state government, traditional rulers, community leaders, religious leaders, partners and members of the public.
The Soun of Ogbomosho, Oba Ghandi Olaoye, the Oololo of Oolo, Oba Micheal Oyegbami, wife of Osun state Deputy governor, Deaconess Olushola Adewusi, Oyo State Commissioner for Education, Prof Abdulwaheed Adelabu, representative of DAWN Commission, Mrs Oluyomi Agge, Prince Deji Irawo, Deputy President, Nigeria Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomosho, Reverend Olushola Obiremi among others were at the event.
According to her, the OAK Centre Prime will be an institution that can take care of children and young people with disabilities with dignity, love, with nurture, assuring that the facility will have all the different equipment, things and infrastructure that they need to support them and make them able, wherever they are disabled.
Speaking further, Adeloye who said the focus of her organisation is to become the voice for children with special needs or disabilities counselled parents who have children with such needs not to give up on their care but accept that they have their own peculiarities
Adeloye said, “Well, it is a painful time, but it is a pain mixed with joy now. With the loss of my daughter, who was medically mismanaged here in Nigeria. At 18 months, she was medically mismanaged and that led to brain damage.
“We took her away to the United Kingdom, where she lived for 14 years. And she lived a full life, which is the result of what we’re seeing today. Which is why we want to give this back to every other child that has a disability or special needs.
“That there’s no child that is worthless, there’s no child that is useless. No matter what the challenges or the difficulties might be. First of all, kudos to the parents for doing a wonderful job without a structure.
“Without a system to support them, as we have here in Nigeria, unfortunately. But we know that gradually we’re getting there. The awareness is breaking in, the understanding is coming in. And we’re gradually becoming a voice for our children. That they also have a space within the community.
“We can no longer keep quiet for them now. They belong. And each one of them, even though they might not be able to do things like we know to do normally or typically. But that doesn’t mean they cannot do it differently.
“They can do so much differently and that is the focus of this. And that is why we want to have the OAK Centre Prime. So that we can have an institution that can take care of children and young people with disabilities with dignity, with love, with nurture. And then with all the different equipment and things, that infrastructure that they need to support them. To make them able, wherever they are disabled.That is why we want to do this.”
Speaking on the facility which will be on 35hectares of land donated by the Oolo community, the CRO said the facility which is to be the first of its kind in Nigeria and sub-saharan African. alled on willing partners and donors to support the vision and care for special children.
“And that’s why we are crying and calling for everybody to come along with us. This is not just going to be buildings. It’s not just going to be a structure. It’s going to be where life is. Where life can be lived abundantly. That is the fullness. That is the core of this organisation. Living life abundantly.
“So we believe that can happen for every child. Irregardless of whatever disability they have or they do not have. And that’s why we’re calling on everyone. The government, philanthropists, individuals, bricklayers. Everybody we need you on this side to ensure that we have this structure built”, she added.
In his remarks the Soun, Oba Ghandi Olaoye thanked the Oololo for donating the massive land for the building of the facility, which will be first of its kind in the country.
He urged other traditional rulers to take a cue from the Oolo traditional ruler and stop the sale of lands which he described as the commonwealth of the indigenes.
Earlier in his remarks, the Oololo of Oolo, Oba Micheal Oyegbami said he decided to give the massive land because of the firm belief in the vision and potential the facility hold for the town, the state and country as a whole.
He challenegd the Adeloyes not to see the death of their daughter, Abigail as been in vain, noting that the death has bene a huge motivation for wanting to provide better platform to make care and attention to other children with special needs, particularly support for the parents and families who have such children and hiding them at home.
He also called on stakeholders to partners, particularly the government to provide support for the vision so that it won’t be abandoned.
The representative of the Commissioner for Education, Reverend Paul Oyedokun commended the initiative, assuring that thebstate government will key into the vision and provide the needed support that will make the project see the light of the day.
In his brief exhortation at the event, the Right Reverend S. Onaleke charged members of the public to key into the opportunity to provide help and support for the less privileged, especially people living with disabilities.
