The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has inaugurated a committee to develop a framework for establishing specialised autism centres across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
The proposed centres are expected to expand access to autism care, strengthen research and professional training, and improve support for individuals on the autism spectrum and their families.
Sonny Echono, executive secretary of TETFund, inaugurated the committee in Abuja on Thursday, tasking its members with developing practical, evidence-based and sustainable recommendations for establishing the facilities in selected university medical schools.
He said the initiative would build on the fund’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 Echono, the proposed centres would provide early diagnosis, developmental assessments, clinical care, rehabilitation, research and professional training, while promoting public awareness and supporting families and caregivers.
He said establishing the facilities across the six geopolitical zones would improve access to specialised services and reduce the burden on families who travel long distances to seek appropriate care.
Echono said the centres were being considered for funding under the proposed 2027 TETFund Special Intervention, subject to the committee’s recommendations, 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.
He also called for transparent criteria for selecting host institutions, including geographical spread, existing medical and academic facilities, workforce capacity, institutional commitment and the ability to sustain the centres.
The committee was further tasked with identifying suitable institutions and assessing their needs to enable relevant provisions to be considered in the 2027 intervention budget.
Responding, Ebunoluwa Adejuyigbe, chairperson of the committee and vice-chancellor of the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, described the assignment as an important step towards building an accessible and sustainable system for autism care, research and community support.
Adejuyigbe, a paediatrician, said many Nigerian families raising children with autism faced delayed diagnosis because of denial, limited access to specialised services, financial constraints and inadequate professional support.
She said the committee’s work would focus on five areas: clinical services and early intervention; research and innovation; training and capacity building; community engagement and inclusion; and sustainability and quality assurance.
According to her, the centres should go beyond clinical services to generate locally relevant research, strengthen professional capacity and improve understanding of autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions in Nigeria and Africa.
She said research into autism prevalence in Nigeria and factors that may influence neurodevelopment would help generate evidence to inform public policy, improve clinical practice and contribute to global scientific knowledge.
Adejuyigbe also called for a multidisciplinary workforce comprising paediatricians, psychiatrists, psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, special educators and other relevant professionals.
She stressed the need for collaboration with primary healthcare facilities, schools, teachers, community health workers, religious and traditional leaders, parents’ associations, autistic people and their families to promote early identification, appropriate referrals, caregiver support and reduced stigma.
The committee chairperson warned against establishing facilities without clear plans for their long-term operation, saying governance, financing, equipment maintenance, monitoring and evaluation must be built into the recommendations.
“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, develop minimum standards for the centres’ design and operation, prepare implementation schedules and cost estimates, and propose a monitoring and evaluation framework.
The proposed initiative is intended to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity for specialised autism care while expanding research, professional training, public awareness and support for people on the autism spectrum.
