Facially-deformed Niger residents benefit from foundation’s gesture

No fewer than 51 people with facial deformities across Niger State can now heave a sigh of relief, following successful surgeries by a team of medical experts from Cleft & Facial Deformity Foundation led by Dr. Seidu Adebayo Bello, a consultant surgeon recently.

The successful operations carried out on the patients by the foundation members, that took place at one of the theatres of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida Specialized Hospital in Minna, the state capital, were in collaboration with a former military head of state, General Abdulsalam A. Abubakar (rtd) through his firm, Maizube Nig. Ltd.

Facial deformities, according to Dr. Seidu Adebayo Bello,  are a group of diseases that are present not just with body pains, but immense psychological disturbance brought by social stigmatisation, adding that they affect people making them socially dislocated as well as have their potentials decimated, hence they need special attention.

Speaking further in an interaction with some select journalists at the weeklong programme, Dr. Bello added that from his experience, facial deformities could be categorised into three, namely: facial cleft such as cleft lip and palate like openings on the lip and palate, stressing that patients were usually born with the condition.

“It usually occurs as a result of ear infection in infancy that spread from the ear to the joint. It could also be due to trauma to the joint in infancy,” he stated.

He however noted that all these diseases or entities have one thing in common such as stigmatisation, decimation of children’s potentials and societal dislocation.

Mr. Isah Useni, zonal education officer, Mokwa Local Government Area of the state and parent to 12-year-old Amina Isah, a cleft palate patient who was operated successfully of her ailment, said on the day the young girl was born by her mother, he noticed that the girl was born with the medical problem.

Useni stated further that he and his child spent about 65 days at the hospital without much success after which the hospital management requested for an additional N250,000 for the correction of one other medical challenge in the mouth of little Amina.

He however said that he had to return home in Mokwa with the little girl, because he said he could not source for the huge sums of money because of his meager salary.

“But recently when I heard about Cleft &Facial Deformity Foundation, I rushed here and they examined my daughter when I brought her to them and thank God they did it successfully. I am happy they did it very well and I am grateful to them because they did not charge me any fee,” said the elated father.

Similarly, another beneficiary, Miss Edith Simon who had a swollen tumor on her upper lip could also not hide her joy as she spoke with our reporter at the hospital premises where the patients were gathered.

Another beneficiary whose cleft palate was successfully operated upon was 8-year-old Madi Adamu, from Zaria, Kaduna State as he succeeded in opening his mouth.

Speaking, Dr. Bello said that the patients are in contact with him and members of his foundation, adding that two months from the time of the operation that  there would be a review of all the cases so far treated , while advising the patients to report again for further checks.

“If anybody has complaints, I will personally attend to it. This programme is in collaboration with a former Head of State, General Abdulsalam Abubakar and the treatments are very expensive. We are looking for more people and organisations to collaborate with, including the Niger State government and other corporate organisations in the state.

“As at today, 101 patients have registered. We have operated on 51.  It is obvious that we cannot attend to everybody. It is a wakeup call to the reality that the facial deformities are not rare.

“In fact today is unique in the life of the foundation and collective fight against the scourge of facial deformity in Nigeria. General Abdulsalam sponsored the 4th edition of the programme here in Minna in 2011 where a  total of 62 patients benefited from reconstructive surgery.”