Distinguished guests, community leaders, parents, caregivers, and my dear brothers and sisters of Dutsen Kura, I greet you all.
My name is Kalejaiye Olasunkanmi, Executive Director of Global Promoters for Community Initiatives, Niger State. I stand here not just as a professional, but as a voice for the many children whose voices are often unheard… children living with autism.
Today, as we mark the 2026 World Autism Awareness Day, under the theme “Empowering Inclusion for a Brighter Tomorrow,” I ask us all to pause… and truly reflect.
Autism is not loud.
It does not always cry out for attention.
Sometimes, it sits quietly in a corner.
Sometimes, it struggles to speak.
Sometimes, it smiles in ways we do not understand.
But what breaks the heart… is not autism itself.
What breaks the heart… is rejection.
What breaks the heart… is stigma.
What breaks the heart… is when a child is called “abnormal,” “possessed,” or “a burden.”
No child deserves that.
Imagine a child who wants to speak but cannot find the words.
Imagine a child who feels everything deeply but cannot express it.
Imagine a mother who is judged, blamed, and isolated because her child is “different.”
That is the reality many families in our communities face every single day.
Autism is not a disability — it is a different ability.
But society… society often becomes the real disability.
We exclude.
We ignore.
We fail to understand.
And in doing so, we dim the light of children who were born to shine in their own unique way.
Today, I speak not just to inform you, but to challenge you.
Let us stop asking, “What is wrong with this child?”
Let us begin to ask, “How can I support this child?”
Let us stop hiding children with autism.
Let us start embracing them.
Let us stop the whispers.
Let us start the conversations.
Because awareness is not enough.
We must move from awareness to acceptance.
From acceptance to inclusion.
From inclusion to empowerment.
To every parent here today:
You are not alone. Your child is not a mistake. Your child is a gift.
To our community leaders:
Your voice can break stigma. Use it.
To policymakers and stakeholders:
Inclusion is not charity — it is a right. Invest in it.
And to every child living with autism, whether you can hear me or not:
You matter.
You are seen.
You are valued.
And we will keep fighting for a world that understands you.
Let today not end as just another event.
Let it mark the beginning of a movement in Dutsen Kura, Minna, across Niger State — a movement where no child is left behind because they are different.
Because a brighter tomorrow is only possible…
when we choose inclusion today.
God bless Niger State
God bless Nigeria.
Thank you.