Chief Anthony Idigbe, SAN, has urged the government at all levels to commit more resources to caring for children with special needs.

Idigbe, the Senior Partner at Punuka Attorneys and Solicitors, made the call during the second edition of the Punuka Foundation Walk for Super Special Children, an initiative of the law firm’s not-for-profit arm, Punuka Foundation.

The Foundation, which runs a childcare centre in Lagos, was established to pursue the objective of helping the needy.

It focuses on people with developmental needs such as autism, down syndrome, cerebral palsy, Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD, and related conditions.

Idigbe said: “There’s a lot the government can do in terms of policy. I think more resources should be committed to taking care of children with special needs. 

“Our Childcare Centre could be a centre of excellence, where scientific research can be conducted. 

“An organisation in Canada that we’re associated with tries to identify the level of intelligence of these kids. 

“They found out that some kids may be challenged, but can communicate with the eyes. So, a computer was designed to enable them to write through eye signals. 

“There are lots of things we can do in Nigeria as well, so we hope to partner with the government on some of these research activities.

“We believe in early intervention and identifying children with needs in the general schools. It means improving the skills of the teachers.

“Part of our work is empowering teachers on how they can identify children with special needs and how they can intervene very early.

“A lot of kids not doing well in general schools could be because they have eye problems. A test can reveal that glasses could simply solve the problem. 

“So, there is a lot we can do with the government in terms of policy and training, in addition to the services we offer at our special centre.” 

One of the foundation’s objectives, he noted  is to impact society generally across the entire country. 

Executive Secretary and Trustee of Punuka Foundation, Mrs, Elizbeth Idigbe, said the childcare centre was equipped with modern facilities, sensory-motor tools and other learning aids.