Association Decries Use Of Babies With Cleft Lips For Sacrifice

The president of the Nigerian Association for Cleft Lip and Palate (NACLP), Professor Nnadozie Ugochukwu, has expressed dismay over the use of children with Cleft Lip Palate deformity for sacrifice.
He described the health challenge which is associated with new born babies as a significant challenge in Nigeria, saying that sometimes children with the disorder are seen as children possessed by evil spirits and sometimes sacrificed.

Speaking with newsmen yesterday at the ongoing 6th Scientific Conference and 2025 Annual General meeting (AGM), sponsored by Smile Train, taking place at the National Orthopedic hospital Enugu, the Association boss, advised pregnant women to always take issue of Antenatal care very seriously.
He urged government at all levels in Nigeria to start giving serious attention towards tackling the congenital human health challenge which is associated with new born babies.

“In Nigeria, it is still a significant challenge because people born with cleft lip deformities are seen as babies possessed by evil spirit, and sometimes they are sacrificed. And this issue has led to a lot of broken homes and a lot of divorce in marriages.

“For the purpose of a layman, cleft lip is a defect on the lip and the throat, but when it involves demarcation between the nose and mouth, we call it Palate. It is something that is congenital, we don’t know the real cause, but a lot of factors have been associated to that such as Vitamin B complex deficiency.

“So, we advise pregnant women to always embrace their Antenatal care programme and take their routine drugs, so as to reduce the incidence of cleft lip and palate as much as possible.

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“So, it is really a serious Tragedy in the society, and that is why a group of professionals, Doctors, Nurses, Social Welfare officers Ear Nose throat ENT Surgeons came together to see what we can do to bring this significant part of our population to be economically viable to the nation” he stated.

Also, speaking with journalists, the medical director, National Orthopedic hospital Enugu, professor Emmanuel Iyidiobi, stated that cleft care falls into one of the main objectives of the hospital, stressing that it is a subset of plastic surgery, adding that some of its core areas includes handling of burns, plastic surgery, and other sub specialities.

“We have collaborated with Smile Train for over a decade now in caring for patients. And I can tell you that records have shown that we have done more Cleft surgeries more than any other hospital in Nigeria”

“So, it is natural that we host this conference this year. And we are delighted to do so. And why are we doing this? Primarily, we are doing it in tandem with the goals of Mr. President.

“Mr. President’s new hope agenda for health mandates hospitals to emphasize on capacity building, training, and research, and thereby, reversing medical tourism in Nigeria, and that is why we decided to support the conference” he stated.

In her remark, Smile Train Vice president and Regional Director, for Africa Mrs. Nkeiruka Obi, said the organization believes so much that every child born with a cleft disorder deserves access to high quality comprehensive care delivered by skilled, locally trained professionals.