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Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
President, Speech Pathologists and Audiologists Association in Nigeria (SPAAN), Prof. Julius Ademokoya, has raised the alarm that 8.5million Nigerians have hearing impairments and studies have shown that the number is increasing.
He said Nigeria has less than 300 audiologists to attend to people with hearing issues, hence, he said, the need for government to encourage more people to become audiologists.
He made the disclosure when he addressed some journalists at the Press Centre, Iyaganku, Ibadan, to commemorate the international month of hearing and speech for 2020, with the tagline: ‘Promoting Better Hearing and Speech in Nigeria.’
The programme was organised by SPAAN in collaboration with Smile Train Incorporation. Ademokoya was supported during the press conference by the vice president of the association, Prof Oyedunni Arulogun, and a Consultant/Partner with Smile Train Incorporation, dealing with free surgeries for children suffering from cleft palate, Dr. Adeola Olusanya.
“We are in the era of danger of more people losing their hearing and speech systems. In 1999 when a research was conducted, more than 7.3 million people had problems with their auditory system in Nigeria.But the recent data revealed that the number has increased and currently 8.5million people in Nigeria have hearing problems.”
