The Governor of Taraba State, Agbu Kefas, has said the state government’s commitment to free education is driven by the belief that circumstances should not deny a child the opportunity to learn.

The Governor noted that when a child learns differently, communicates differently, but needs additional support, the first response must be understanding.

Speaking during the launch of an NGO – ‘Solution Nest Education Initiative (SNEI)‘, and unveiling a book by the organisation titled: “See The Child First”, at the weekend in Abuja, Kefas said that society “must see the child’s dignity, recognise their abilities and provide the support needed.

 

“For neurodivergent learners and children at the risk of exclusion, inclusion must go beyond admission into a classroom. It must mean trained teachers, appropriate learning support, patient engagement, and a genuine sense of belonging”.

 

He urged parents, caregivers, teachers, and entire society to draw lesson from Jesus who accepted children and blessed them unlike his disciples who attempted to turn them away, adding “Where others placed a barricade, Jesus made room. He gave the children his attention and affirmed their worth”.

 

According to the Governor, the launch of SNEI should inspire practical action in homes, schools, and public institutions. Before we judge, let us understand first. Before we exclude, let us make room. And before we see a letter, let us see a child.

The Chairman of the occasion and President, Alumni Association of the National Institute (AANI), Ambassador Emmanuel Okafor, observed that the country has yet to know what to do with children who live differently – children who develop at their own pace, children who see the world through the lens of school system, which is not designed to understand them.

“Too often, we label the children”, Okafor said, saying that the launch of SENI was a direct challenge to all.

“It is a challenge to every institution that has ever turn a child away, and a challenge to a society that has not fully reckoned with the truth that every child deserves to be seen for who they are and for what they are capable of becoming”.

He said that behind every behaviour is a child with a story; behind every challenge is a need waiting to be understood; and behind every label is a human being deserving of dignity, acceptance and opportunity.

Okafor said the launch of SNEI coincided with the World Mental Health Day, noting that mental health, emotional well-being, development and capacity are subjects that Nigeria has approached with discomfort and sometimes with stigma, too often with silence.

“By choosing this day to launch SNEI, it is planting a flag in the national conscience. They are saying that the emotional and developmental well-being of Nigerian children is not a private struggle to be managed behind closed doors. It is a public responsibility to be shared, and a national priority to be acted upon by governments, schools, communities and everyone”.

Earlier, in her remarks, SNEI Initiator, Ms Henrietta Ikediashi, said with the launch of the initiative, the organisation has declared that “no child in Nigeria should be beaten into submission or left behind”.

She said, “A neurodivergent child is a child whose brain works differently. Such a child has the right to dream like any other child. We explained to parents what their children needed and how to understand what each child was communicating through what we call a behaviour code.

“Because a child who screams, who runs or who goes silent is not a bad child. That child is speaking the only language available to them. And it is up to us to understand that language.

“Today, as we launch this work, we begin with big things. We are taking our awareness campaign to the streets. It is a movement for the world, so that every Nigerian in every community understands that children with special educational needs and disabilities are our children, our future and our pride.

“We will take our training and our focus to different parts of this nation, reaching everyone and every student who needs us”.