Bethesda Home
Seventy-two
blind students of Bethesda Home for the Blind (BHB) may be on their way
onto the streets of Lagos, unless something is urgently done by the
Lagos State government, if threats by the Executive Secretary of
Surulere Local Government, Mrs. Aduke Hussein are anything to go by.
The visually impaired inmates, who have
found a safe haven in the Mrs Chioma Ohakwe founded boarding school,
would be losing their home, school, freedom, hope, dreams and sanity if
verbal and written threats coming from their host local government are
carried out.
The home located at 31, Agege Motor
Road, Moshalasi, Surulere, is the brainchild of Ohakwe, a deeply
religious social worker, who started the humanitarian home in 2005, to
prepare these special students to face the world challenges adequately
through formal education-reading and writing- and vocational skill
acquisition such as music, hand craft, moral teaching and philosophy.
By Monday, February 29, 2016, according
to a quit notice served them, dated December 14th 2015, and signed by
Fasuyi K.A for Executive Secretary (ES), Surulere LG, the students would
be thrown to the streets, as they ceased to be legal tenants of the LG.
According to the BHB director, verbal
warnings have come before the written one in December. “Before we got
this quit notice, they have sent people from the LG, acting on the
orders of the ES to talk us into vacating the only place we call home. I
did not think much of it, then the letter came and since then it’s been
constant harassment from the LG. One morning in January, a Police
vehicle just came to the home and their leader, an Assistant
Superintended of Police (ASP) said they were ordered to eject us. They
went through the whole house and when they saw the students, the ASP
took pity on the children and even gave us money, adding that he pitied
our condition.”
The quit notice reads in part: ‘We
acknowledge the tremendous impact and contribution of the home to the
less privileged over time…I am to add that the home is a
non-governmental organization, hence, it is expected that the home
should and must sort out its accommodation not relying on government
structures and facilities even if support may or not come from the
government.’
It adds: ‘The body language of the
present administration speaks clearly, thus the need to ensure due
process and accountability of government properly. Consequently, the
authorities of the local government have resolved that the property
accommodating the home be vacated on or before the 26th February, 2016
as a tenant at will.’
Not done, one Oladapo Motolani Williams
on 4th of February 2016, filed a suit of compliance with pre-action
protocol, against the home.
The claimant claimed to be a trustee and
executor of the estate, claimed that the BHB forced itself into the
site in 2014 without the support of the LG, then, under the chairmanship
of Hon Tajudeen Ajide.
The Nation’s investigation,
however find this to be untrue. Hon Ajide, during our investigation
said; “The LG is very much aware of the presence of BHB on that land and
we in-fact gave them permission and support to make the place conducive
for learning and habitation. One of the responsibilities of the LG is
to cater for the physically challenged in our community. They allegedly
claimed that I was there in 2014 for renovation and if you care to know,
BHB has been there since 2013. “
Mrs Ohakwe corroborated his claim; “We
moved to this site in December 2013 with the full support of the LG,
that has been doing all it can to make the place conducive for us. We
also have the greater support of Senator Oluremi Tinubu, her husband and
leader of APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, including the country’s Vice
President, Yemi Osinbajo, and his wife. They have donated in cash and
kind to the home and it is because of them that we are able to send
these children to tertiary institutions.”
When contacted, the ES said she was only
carrying out the mandate of government since the issue was filed in
their office by the claimant.
Should the 72 blind students be forced
into the streets, the reality is that it portends untold hardship on
them. It would also truncate their dreams, as 12 of them have gained
admission to into the universities and more have applied. Samuel
Olusegun, who is currently an undergraduate of The University of Lagos
said: “I have found peace among my friends here and to be thrown out
would be like going back to ground zero. Please help us beg Governor
Akinwunmi Ambode to come to our aid.”
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