Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Bello has pledged continued support of the FCT administration to improve the well-being of persons with autism and other neurological disorders to enable them to live normal lives in the territory.
The minister made this known when he visited the Brain Bloom Centre, a centre dedicated to the care of children with special needs and at the forefront of creating awareness for autism at Apo district in Abuja.
In a statement signed by the chief press secretary, FCTA, Anthony Ogunleye, he said a request for a courtesy call to the minister by the center’s founder and managing director, Mrs. Rahanatu Yusuf as part of activities to mark Autism Awareness Month held from April 1 to 30 every year led to the minister visiting the school to render necessary support.
Speaking after a tour of facilities at the centre, the minister spoke on the imperative for the creation of awareness about the disorder, even as he pledged continued support of the FCT Administration to improve the well-being of persons with autism and other neurological disorders to enable them to live normal lives.
“We feel highly delighted to have come here and I share with you what you are doing because autism is a reality. It is probably just recently that we know autism as a name. Sometimes, you get to know it rather early, and sometimes, you do not know about it till it is very late. I encourage you not to lose hope. Let us just keep on pushing.
“I will continue to give you publicity, and from time to time, I encourage you to do some activities.
You don’t need to make it only an annual event during autism month. If there is any need for support, you can contact my office and we will see what we can do.
“I am very happy that you created a forum where parents of autistic students can come and share ideas because we realize in life that anything that happens has happened before. So, sometimes, if you share ideas, you will be able to achieve the aim of finding solutions to any challenge.
“I assure you that the FCT Administration will give you all the needed support. You can rest assured that I am going to be a very passionate advocate of what you do,” he said.
On the need for an inclusive environment, the minister revealed that the FCT administration was working on making public buildings conform to the Disability Act recently signed by President Muhammadu Buhari, to cater to persons with disabilities and other special needs.
Mrs Rahanatu Yusuf, in a welcome remark earlier, appealed for greater understanding, patience, and acceptability of autistic persons to build a much more inclusive world that protects the rights of all children, particularly those with neuro-diversity.
