INTERVIEW: People who stutter are invisible in Nigeria’s disability system – Advocate

In this interview with PREMIUM TIMES, Victoria Nwanne, Founder of the Stutter Awareness Foundation, speaks on the scale of stuttering in Nigeria, deep-rooted myths about the condition, the absence of speech therapy services, government neglect, and the burden children who stutter bear in a system that refuses to see them.

PT: Can you tell us about stuttering in Nigeria and its prevalence?

Ms Nwanne: Stuttering is a disability that affects over 1.5 million people in Nigeria, yet there is little to no institutional intervention. By that, I mean there is no structured response from the government or relevant agencies.

In Nigeria, children from about the age of six, which is a very critical period for early intervention, do not have access to speech therapy. Instead, what happens is what I call the denial stage. Parents begin to notice that a child speaks differently, but instead of seeking professional support, they start searching for a cure, even though stuttering has none.

This cure-seeking leads to superstition. Then, children are taken from place to place, labelled spiritually, and subjected to all sorts of beliefs. Meanwhile, young people between the ages of 18 and 28 are bullied daily. Many do not speak up because they feel nobody is ready to listen. That is the reality of stuttering in Nigeria today.

PT: So, stuttering is widely known but not widely recognised?

Ms Nwanne: Yes. Under the World Health Organisation, stuttering is recognised as a disability. But in Nigeria’s disability framework, it is not recognised.

There are several government disability committees meant to promote inclusion, yet people who stutter are missing from those spaces. And because they are not represented, their issues are not considered or projected. Stuttering is a speech impairment. Anything that limits your ability to function like others is a disability, but the system here does not treat it as such.

Stuttering is an interruption in the flow of speech, and it happens because of how the brain processes speech. Interruption means that you are not able to speak fluently, so a person may repeat sounds, syllables, or words, or experience blocks where the words simply will not come out.

It could be as simple as trying to say your name or a syllable and being unable to say it. Stuttering is a neurological condition.

PT: What causes stuttering? Is it linked to pregnancy or medical mistakes?

Ms Nwanne: So far, research has not shown any dominant causes. However, some cases point to heredity, where someone in the family may have stuttered, even generations back. But the percentage of heredity is low from what I have recorded as a Founder.

In pregnancy, there is nothing a mother does that can cause a child to stutter. A child can be born a stutterer, while some people also develop stuttering by imitation if they spend a lot of time with someone who stutters, but they usually outgrow it. That is not the same as neurological stuttering.

PT: What motivated you to start the Stutterer Awareness Foundation?

Ms Nwanne: My younger brother. He has stuttered for over 20 years and has never received any form of support or even recognition. For a long time, he did not even know that what he was experiencing had a name.

He became isolated and excluded, and at some point, he began to struggle with identity fragmentation. I work in the social impact space, so I started asking: who is speaking or addressing this issue in Nigeria? I found no one.

That huge gap explained why my brother went through so much. People were uninformed. Bullying happened largely out of ignorance. I have lived with someone who stutters for over 20 years, and that experience taught me more than any degree could.

The foundation was born to project his voice and the voices of millions of Nigerians who have never been told they are not alone, and that stuttering does not limit what they can become.

PT: How do myths and misconceptions affect people who stutter?

Ms Nwanne: They are extremely damaging. People are told to drink water from gongs for 21-30 days or snail shells, and when these things do not work, they begin to feel hopeless and withdrawn.

There is also the belief that people who stutter are not intelligent. Because fluency is overvalued in Nigeria, especially in schools. Many are never given the chance to show what they know. This destroys self-esteem and confidence.

These myths make people lose their sense of identity. That is why accurate information is critical.

PT: How does stigma show up in schools, workplaces, or family life?

Ms Nwanne: Stigma is often internalised. In school, especially primary and secondary school, children withdraw. My brother stopped speaking entirely because he did not want new people to discover his stutter.

Most of the stigma I have recorded happens early in life, and children isolate themselves, avoid friendships, and stop socialising. By adulthood, some learn to cope, but the damage is often already done.

For adults who stutter, many reach a point of self-acceptance. They decide that stuttering does not define them. Through our foundation’s monthly meetings, people learn confidence by sharing experiences.

Some now say they stutter with confidence. They ask for extra time when needed and no longer allow comments to limit them. Hearing other people’s stories helps them realise they are not alone.

PT: Are speech therapy services available in Nigeria? How accessible are they?

Ms Nwanne: Stuttering speech therapy practically does not exist in Nigeria. You cannot walk into a government hospital and see a speech therapist. Even diagnosis is often done by general doctors, which should not be the case.

I tried to get a diagnosis for my brother decades after childhood, and that was the only option available. Children who should be diagnosed early miss that window entirely.

Speech therapy does not cure stuttering, but it improves speech and builds confidence. It also supports mental health. Without access to it, people continue cycling through superstition and misinformation.

PT: How informed are parents and teachers about stuttering, and what impact does this have on children?

Ms Nwanne: Parents are largely uninformed. There is no public education, no government messaging, no local media coverage. Most information comes from international sources.

Because parents do not understand stuttering, children suffer, low self-esteem sets in, and mental health deteriorates. Some children stop speaking entirely and reject speaking-related tasks.

I once met a teacher who did not recognise stuttering in her own child for about six years, because that’s the child’s age. I had to explain to the teacher what it is, and then she now understands it.

That shows how deep the gap is. If teachers do not understand it, children who stutter will continue to be misunderstood and mistreated.

PT: What should the government be doing differently?

Ms Nwanne: Nigeria needs a legal framework that recognises stuttering as a disability. This framework should include individualised education plans, access to speech therapy, and reasonable accommodations in schools and workplaces.

There should be government-supported centres, even if it is one per state, where people can get a diagnosis, therapy, and mental health support at low cost.

People who stutter must be included in disability committees. You cannot talk about inclusion while excluding them. The government must also work with civil society organisations like ours because we already have access to the community.

PT: What initiatives has your foundation launched, and what impact have you seen?

Ms Nwanne: We run monthly safe-space meetings where people who stutter connect, share experiences, and build confidence. We now have participants who join from across Nigeria and other African countries like Malawi, Namibia, Gambia and Cameroon.

During these meetings, members share their experiences, talk about issues and challenges, and that builds confidence. They also talk about their struggles and how they overcome them. And I, in my capacity, also try to reach out to some notable people in Nigeria who stutter but are doing very well, to encourage these young people.

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These meetings are not a way to cure it, but a way to build community support to let them know that they are not alone. We also organise Advocacy awareness campaigns in schools, celebrate International Stuttering Awareness Day, which is not known in Nigeria, and provide one-on-one mental health support. I often write letters to institutions requesting reasonable accommodations for students and workers who stutter.

Our work is about community, confidence, and unlocking potential so that the members can begin to realise they can live full lives without being defined or limited by their stutter.