Friends & Family Told Me To Kill My Son Because Of His Disability - Kogi Gov’s Wife

The wife of Kogi State governor and founder of Hayat Foundation, Mrs. Amina Bello has appealed to government to provide wheelchairs for physically challenged children and enforce that schools discriminating against such children be shut down.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja on how some family members and close friends mocked her for having a son who has cerebral palsy, the First Lady said, "Schools which discriminate against children who are living with physical and developmental challenges should be shut down.

"Before you set up a school, it must be accessible to these children with special needs. You must have special teachers or therapists in every class and of course you should be certified fit to open a school for special needs children. There is also the stigma which starts from your immediate environment. People will be whispering when a child with special needs or his parents are around.


"This has made a lot of parents to live in depression. This is the reason why some parents choose to live in denial and lick up such children. I was advised to inject my son with harmful substance and some people advised me to take him to the village." Bello further said her foundation will establish an institute with focus on severe cerebral palsy cases and also, will open a training centre for behavioural and occupational therapists.