SBHAN "Spina bifida and Hydrocephalus Association In Nigeria"

06/04/2026

It's always excitement with our kids living with SBH at SBHAN "Spina bifida and Hydrocephalus Association In Nigeria", and so it was at the Easter Family Fiesta hosted by the First Lady of Lagos State, Dr Mrs Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, at Lagos House, Alausa, over the weekend.💥

The inclusive event, which SBHAN was invited to, had Dr. Mrs Sanwo-Olu engage in storytelling, with our very own and current Festus Fajemilo Foundation - FFF Queen 👸 Samara Funmilayo sitted next to her. Samara won a prize 🏆 for answering a question correctly during the session. 🥰

It was a graceful event as all the children had fun with lots of games and activities to mark the Easter celebrations.🌟

SBHAN thanks Mama Lagos, Dr. Mrs Sanwo-Olu, for creating an enabling and inclusive environment for children with disabilities. We look forward to more exciting events that will help our kids grow in confidence and strength. ♥️

05/04/2026

Resurrection signifies new life
It signifies hope for a better tomorrow
It signifies a fresh start
It signifies fresh strength and courage for what's ahead
We appreciate and celebrate with everyone who has connected with us on this journey to make the lives of persons living with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (SBH) in Nigeria better.

Happy Easter.

03/04/2026

As we reflect on this Good Friday, we are reminded about sacrifice for the sake of humanity.

We appreciate everyone who has sacrificed so much to make the lives of persons living with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (SBH) better.

God bless you all.

03/04/2026

April is Autism Awareness Month and it is another time to remind us of the uniqueness that lies in neurodivergent persons.

One of such uniqueness was seen in the phenomenal Kanyeyachukwu who became the youngest person in the world at 16 years old to cycle 100 miles (160.9 kilometres), a feat he achieved while cycling from Enugu to Lagos. It is his second Guinness World Record in less than a year after he claimed the world record for the largest art canvas.

Despite being non-verbal, Kanye reminds us that his talent as an artist speaks strength, resilience, determination, focus and success.

It is also a reminder to parents and caregivers of children with disabilities to focus on the strengths of their amazing warriors and see a world of possibilities unleashed.

All of us at SBHAN "Spina bifida and Hydrocephalus Association In Nigeria" fecilitate with Kanye, his family, everyone who made the record attempt a success and the entire Autism community in Nigeria.

03/04/2026

Article 25- African Disability Protocol
Its our Right to Social Inclusion and Integration through Sports. 👏🌟

‎Today, we continue our awareness campaign on the African Disability Protocol by spotlighting a critical pillar of inclusion, empowerment, and equal participation: Article 25, Right to Participate in Sports, Recreation and Culture.
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‎Article 25 affirms that:
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‎Every person with a disability has the right to take part in sports, recreation, and cultural life. States are required to take appropriate actions to ensure this right is realized equally by improving access to facilities, services, and cultural spaces, promoting participation in both mainstream and disability-specific activities, and providing necessary support such as funding, infrastructure, and inclusive opportunities for children.
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‎They must also ensure access to media and cultural content, address negative stereotypes, encourage creativity and talent, remove barriers to accessible materials, and recognize and support the cultural and linguistic identities of persons with disabilities.
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‎Why Article 25 Matters?
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‎Article 25 matters because inclusive access to sports and culture improves physical and mental health, boosts self‑esteem, and strengthens social bonds and community belonging; it challenges harmful stereotypes by showcasing ability, resilience, and creativity, and creates pathways to education, livelihoods, and public visibility that shift attitudes and influence policy—ultimately helping to build more equitable, diverse communities where everyone can participate and contribute.
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‎Photo Description: The poster highlights the 25th article of the African Disability Protocol. This article speaks about the Right to Participate in Sports, Recreation and Culture. The JONAPWD logo appears at the bottom of each poster

African Disability Forum - ADF
African Union
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01/04/2026

What an exciting way to start the month of April. 🥳🥳🥳

Our hearts are filled with so much joy and happiness at SBHANigeria as our very own Testimony Ajisafe-Esan, who lives with Spina Bifida, was part of the wheelchair basketball team 🧑‍🦽🏀 representing Ekiti State that won silver medal 🥈 at the 3rd National Para-Sports Festival in Abuja.

As his name says, he is evidence and proof that disability has no hindrance or limit to any one's dreams. Once we can dream it, we can achieve it, because our ability is stronger than our disability.

We celebrate Testimony's athletic strength and tenacity in defying what many would have thought was impossible.

We thank his father, Ayodele Emmanuel Ajisafe-Esan and his entire family for the unconditional love and support towards bringing out the best in him.

We also thank the Ekiti State wheelchair basketball team and coaches for the training and commitment to develop exceptional athletes.

Many thanks to SBHAN National President Hassan O Funmilayo visionary commitment and support of integrating SBH youngsters into parasports.

From previous SBHAN sport activities, we have nutured and discovered talents like Testimony towards achieving great outcomes of hope for other SBH youths.

Here's to more achievement and success in the Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus community in Nigeria. 🥂

31/03/2026

SBHAN EXCOS PARTICIPATE IN SUPPORT GROUP STRENGTHENING WORKSHOP

Executive Members of Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association in Nigeria (SBHAN) participated in a two-day support group strengthening workshop held in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos on March 25 and 26, 2026.

The workshop, organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA), Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and LEGO Foundation's Build a World of Play (BAWOP) Initiative, brought together different disability clusters on the importance of caregivers of children with disabilities having support groups.

This is the space where they can ease their burdens, frustrations, and anxieties, and share love, joy, and milestones reached in the incredible journey of raising children with disabilities.

The workshop also emphasised the importance of encouraging play as a way of learning for children with disabilities and also helping their fine motor skills and social integration, which in turn boosts their mood and confidence to face daily life.

Caregivers were also encouraged to look after their mental and physical health to avoid burnout and reach out for help whenever they are overwhelmed.

The workshop has strengthened SBHAN's experience, especially with the attendance of its members at the support group meetings of founding partner Festus Fajemilo Foundation, which has been a comforting and psychosocial support system for families with SBH.

We appreciate the organisers and everyone who made the workshop a very engaging and enlightening experience.

27/03/2026

We are empowered with the knowledge and experiences and to also be part of the Impactful initiative and Collaborative efforts in Strengthening OPDs Capacity in Nigeria.

In , a subgrant project led by IDA in partnership with the Jonapwd Jonapwd , is demonstrating that lasting and transformative change in disability rights begins with strengthening Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs).

The initiative supports JONAPWD’s clustered member organisations. These organisations collectively represent a critical part of the diversity of disability constituencies across Nigeria and form the backbone of the national disability movement.

Across the country, these are building the systems that too often go overlooked: governance, financial management, and institutional capacity.
For many, this marks the inaugural establishment of these foundations.

The result is already visible.
are not only advocating. They are engaging donors, influencing policies, and leading programmes with credibility and structure.

This marks a broader shift in Nigeria’s disability movement, from advocacy alone to strong, sustainable institutions capable of driving inclusive development.

At its core, the programme reinforces a simple but powerful principle: "Disability inclusion cannot be built for people with disabilities; it must be led by them."

When are equipped, trusted, and resourced, they not only participate in development; they shape it, lead it, and sustain it.

African Disability Forum - ADF CBM Global Disability Inclusion

Association of Persons with Physical Disabilities Nigeria Association of the Blind Association of Nigeria
Cord Injuries Association of Nigeria, for Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities of Nigeria, Nigeria Association of the Deaf, Albinism Association of Nigeria, Spinal Bifida & Hydrocephalus Association of Nigeria, and the International Association for the Integration, Dignity, and Economic Advancement.

27/03/2026

SBHAN PAY ADVOCACY VISIT TO LAGOS UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL, IDI-ARABA

Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association in Nigeria (SBHAN) continued on its advocacy and awareness campaign, making a stop this time at premier federal tertiary healtchare instiutuion, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, on Wednesday, March 25, 2026.

The visit was the eighth of such in the past month, which is in partnership with International Disability Alliance (IDA), Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) National Secretariat, Abuja and African Disability Forum (ADF).

SBHAN Members were received by the Deputy Chairman of the LUTH Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC, Clinicals) and Consultant Nephrologist, Prof Babawale Teslim Bello, who represented the Chief Medical Director, Prof Wasiu Lanre Adeyemo. Other LUTH personnel present were: Prof Olufemi Bankole, Consultant Neurosurgeon and chairman SBHAN Board of Trustees, Ddns Oluwakemi Imouhkuede, Coordinator, Continence Management at LUTH, Dr Adebimpe Alakaloko, Consultant Paediatric Nephrologist, and CNO Tolulope Ogunlana, Continence Management Focal Person at LUTH.

SBHAN National President, Mr Hassan Funmilayo, appreciated LUTH for its success in Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (SBH) multidisciplinary care and being the global standard for continence management in Nigeria for a decade through collaboration with our founding partner, Festus Fajemilo Foundation (FFF).

Mr Funmilayo spotlighted the likes of Mohammad Adefioye and Daniel Kadiri as a success story of persons living with SBH who have benefited from care from childhood into adulthood at LUTH. He admonished the institution not to rest on its oars but to strengthen more positive outcomes in its patients.

Prof Bankole highlighted the need for life-saving surgeries, such as closing of the spine and shunt placement, to be done in a timely manner. He also highlighted the need for a continence clinic that will accommodate more adults that haver been part of the system from childhood.

Prof Bello, in his remarks, appreciated FFF and its international partner Shine Charity UK for continually providing catheters for Clean Intermittent Catheterisation (CIC) and continence management.

In a bid to create more awareness, Prof Bello revealed that LUTH has launched a podcast where medical topics are discussed. This can be used to raise awareness about SBH. He also agreed on improving patient advocacy in the communities and stated that SBHAN will be added to the awareness LUTH gives to SBH patients and their caregivers.

The LUTH management team also suggested expanding support training of its flagship SBH multidisciplinary approach to the broader Lagos State healthcare system.

26/03/2026

SBHAN HOLDS ADVOCACY DISCUSSION WITH LAGOS STATE MINISTRY OF HEALTH

SBHAN "Spina bifida and Hydrocephalus Association In Nigeria" held an engaging virtual discussion with the Lagos State Ministry of Health on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

The meeting was part of SBHAN's continuous advocacy capacity building and strengthening in partnership with International Disability Alliance, JonapwdNational and African Disability Forum - ADF.

SBHAN Executives Members were received by Head of Special Projects and Mental Health, Dr Tolu Ajomale and Dr Mariam Ibrahim on behalf of the Commissioner of Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi.

SBHAN President Hassan O Funmilayo briefed Dr Ajomale on SBHAN's advocacy activities and called on the ministry to collaborate with the relevant stakeholders for greater awareness of Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (SBH). This includes preventive measures of taking 400mg of folic acid three to six months before pregnancy. He also called for better multidisciplinary healthcare especially continence management which can be achieved by training personnel across all levels of the Lagos healthcare system.

Mr Funmilayo further called on the Ministry of Health to look into subsiding cost of surgical procedures involving Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus and necessary materials like shunts.

SBHAN Vice President II, Ms Ngozi Onwuemene called for subsidies on essential items for continence management while SBHAN Head of Digital Communication and Strategy, Kunle Fayiga, called for health insurance coverage of neurological diagnostic tests such as EEG, MRI, CT Scan among others.

Dr Ajomale, in his remarks, appreciated SBHAN for their advocacy efforts, and suggested collaborative efforts in prevention, treatment and management of SBH in Lagos. This includes collaboration with the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) on the need for health insurance coverage for care of persons with SBH.

Dr Ajomale also encouraged persons living with SBH having mental health issues to make use of the Lagos Mind platform.

20/03/2026

Happy Eid-El-Fitr to all our amazing Muslim members. 🕌🕋

We thank you for all the sacrifices you have put in to make our lives of our warriors living with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (SBH) better.

God bless you and reward all your efforts. We love you. ♥️

Eid Mubarak.

19/03/2026

Happy birthday to our National Vice President Ayodele Emmanuel Ajisafe-Esan. 🥳🎊🎉

Your service, dedication and service to the cause of spreading awareness about Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus in Nigeria has been phenomenal.

We thank you for everything you have done for the association and wish you all the very best in this new year. of yours. 🥂