The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) is planning to establish specialised autism centres across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones to expand access to diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and research into autism and related neurodevelopmental conditions.
To advance the initiative, TETFund’s Executive Secretary, Arch. Sonny Echono, has inaugurated a national committee to develop a framework for establishing the centres in selected university medical schools in line with international standards.
Echono inaugurated the committee in Abuja, charging its members to produce practical, evidence-based and sustainable recommendations to guide the proposed project.
He said the initiative would build on the gains of TETFund’s Special High Impact Intervention for medical schools, which is upgrading infrastructure and equipment for training professionals in medicine, pharmacy, nursing, dentistry and related disciplines.
According to him, the proposed centres would provide early diagnosis, developmental assessment, treatment, rehabilitation, research and professional training, while promoting public awareness and supporting families and caregivers.
He explained that establishing the centres across the six geopolitical zones would improve access to specialised services, strengthen local expertise and reduce the burden on families who travel long distances to obtain appropriate care.
Echono disclosed that the centres were being considered for funding under the proposed 2027 TETFund Special Intervention, subject to the committee’s findings, the identification of eligible institutions, resource availability and the necessary approvals.
He urged the committee to base its recommendations on comprehensive needs assessments, realistic cost estimates, appropriate technical specifications, measurable deliverables and credible sustainability plans.
The executive secretary also stressed the need for transparent, evidence-based criteria for selecting host institutions, including geographical spread, existing medical and academic facilities, workforce capacity, institutional commitment and the ability to sustain the centres.
He further urged members to expedite their work, particularly the identification of suitable institutions and assessment of their needs, to enable the necessary provisions to be considered in the 2027 intervention budget.
Responding, the committee’s chairperson and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Prof. Ebunoluwa Aderonke Adejuyigbe, described the assignment as a significant step towards developing a coordinated, accessible and sustainable system of autism care, research and community support in Nigeria.
Adejuyigbe, a paediatrician with decades of experience in child health, said many Nigerian families raising children with autism continued to face delayed diagnosis because of denial, limited access to specialised services, financial constraints and inadequate professional support.
She identified five key pillars that would guide the committee’s work: clinical services and early intervention; research and innovation; training and capacity building; community engagement and inclusion; and sustainability and quality assurance.
The chairperson said the proposed centres should go beyond clinical services to generate locally relevant research, strengthen professional capacity and promote a better understanding of autism and related neurodevelopmental conditions within the Nigerian and African contexts.
She noted that research into autism prevalence in Nigeria and factors that could influence neurodevelopment would help generate evidence to inform public policy, improve clinical practice and contribute to global scientific knowledge.
Adejuyigbe also called for the development of a competent multidisciplinary workforce comprising paediatricians, psychiatrists, psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, special educators and other relevant professionals.
On community engagement, she emphasised collaboration with primary healthcare facilities, schools, teachers, community health workers, religious and traditional leaders, parents’ associations, autistic individuals and their families to promote early identification, appropriate referrals, caregiver empowerment and stigma reduction.
She cautioned against establishing facilities without clear plans for their long-term operation, stressing that sustainability, governance, financing, equipment maintenance, monitoring and evaluation must be incorporated into the committee’s recommendations from the outset.
“Our success must not be measured merely by the number of centres established, but by the number of individuals and families whose lives are positively transformed, the communities reached, and the knowledge generated to improve autism care in Nigeria and across Africa,” she said.
The committee is expected to recommend suitable host universities and medical schools, establish minimum standards for the design and operation of the centres, develop implementation schedules and cost estimates, and propose a monitoring and evaluation framework to guide the relevant authorities.
The initiative is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity for specialised autism care while advancing research, professional training, public awareness and inclusive support for individuals on the autism spectrum.
