Inside Nigeria’s Overstretched Care Homes: The Quiet Struggle at Modupe Cole
By Sola Adebawo
Hidden amid Lagos’ dense landscape of schools, hospitals, charities, and foundations lies the Modupe Cole Memorial Child Care and Treatment Home and School in Akoka—an institution carrying an emotional and moral weight few can ignore.
For more than six decades, Modupe Cole has provided care for children and adults living with profound physical and intellectual disabilities, including cerebral palsy, autism, and Down syndrome. Many residents require lifelong support. Many have been abandoned. Almost all remain invisible to mainstream society.
More than a care facility, Modupe Cole reflects the deeper structural challenges facing specialized care homes in Nigeria—challenges shaped by chronic funding gaps, staffing shortages, and persistent societal stigma around disability.
Running a specialized care home comes with enormous costs. Residents require round-the-clock nursing care, regular physiotherapy, specialized medication, and adaptive equipment such as wheelchairs and hoists. Nutrition alone demands carefully prepared, often medically prescribed diets, while unreliable electricity adds to operational strain.
Although managed by the Lagos State Government, funding is widely acknowledged to be inadequate and inconsistent, forcing the institution to rely heavily on donations and goodwill—an arrangement that undermines long-term planning and growth.
Beyond finances, staffing remains a critical challenge. Nigeria faces a shortage of trained special education teachers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists. Caregivers, though dedicated, often lack the specialised training required, while poor compensation and emotional exhaustion contribute to high burnout and turnover rates.
Underlying these challenges is a deeper societal issue. Despite existing disability legislation, implementation remains weak. Many families, lacking social support systems, are pushed to abandonment. Cultural stigma continues to fuel silence and neglect, leaving care homes as a last resort.
While Modupe Cole stands as a symbol of compassion and resilience, its daily struggle exposes a harsh reality: specialized care in Nigeria remains structurally unsupported. Charity helps, but it is not enough. Sustainable solutions require consistent public funding, disability-inclusive policies, investment in professional training, and a fundamental shift in how society perceives disability.
