The children.
Readers of Nigeria’s most widely read newspaper, The PUNCH,
on Thursday, offered to pay the school fees of the three children that
were abandoned by their father, Mr. Segun Adepegba, at Solid Rock Model
College in Abule-Iroko of Ogun State for eight years.
This is just as the Ogun State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development also indicated interest in the issue.
Since PUNCH Metro
exclusively reported the story of the three children, Seun, 14,
Titilola 13, and Seyi, 10, several interested persons have indicated
interest in helping the children.
On the PUNCH website,
many readers expressed their sympathy for the children, promising to
donate money to pay the accumulated debt of their school fees.
The father of the children, after reading the report in PUNCH Metro,
after being incommunicado for about eight years, said hardship forced
him to abandon his children at the school and promised to visit them
before the end of the week.
Many
readers, who blamed Adepegba for abandoning his children, asked that a
bank account be opened so that they could make donations.
A PUNCH
reader, identified as Austin Sunny, urged the Ogun State Government to
intervene in the welfare of the children. Anthony urged the government
to emulate other developed countries who have good welfare plans for
such children.
He wrote, “One of the
things that made the United Kingdom to be great today was because they
take care of the needy; children and mothers; elderly people and the
pensioners! All these cannot be seen in Nigeria today. This needs to be
considered.”
Adeyinka Adejumo, who said he cried when he first read the story, also indicated interest to make donations.
He wrote, “The PUNCH should
please furnish us with account details. I will surely assist in my
capacity very reasonably. I really wept the first time I read the
report. I’m so happy that their father has come out of hiding.”
Another
reader, Kunle Williams, wrote, “I’m also willing to contribute to the
education of the children. Let’s stop throwing punches, he who wears the
shoes knows where it pinches. It is a crazy country. We need a change
of leadership from a government full of propaganda and fake statistics
that doesn’t impact the life of a common man. Nigerians are struggling
to feed in the midst of plenty. That must have forced Adepegba to run
away.”
Another PUNCH reader, identified simply as Busanic, wrote, “My heart bleeds! Can PUNCH provide an account so we can pay these kid’s fees?”
Still, another reader, Jane Edosomwan, wrote, “I will be glad to contribute if PUNCH can provide an account. I hate to see kids suffer.”
A
reader identified simply as Adesoji wrote, “ I would like to be a
partaker of this blessing by contributing my quota once the account is
made available by PUNCH.
An
anonymous reader wrote, “I am happy with the suggestion of providing an
account for the welfare of those children, and to my greatest surprise,
many Nigerians have supported this suggestion and that has shown that we
are good people with good heart in one nation.
“What
I am seeing in today’s Nigeria is giving me the feeling that Nigeria
will be better, all we need is true love. Once the account is displayed,
no amount is too small and God will help us all to contribute.”
Mrs Torera Oshinowo appealed to Adepegba to fulfil his promise of visiting the children.
She
wrote, “I want to beg Mr Adepegba in the name of God to visit the
children at their school, God will help him. The day I read the news
about the children, it really touched me.”
Dele
Odugbemi blamed Adepegba for abandoning his children but said it was
good that the children were not left to roam the streets.
He added, “I really commend The PUNCH
for publishing this story. Our government at all levels should
endeavour to put welfare packages in place where the poor and needy
could access when they have no means to pay their house rents, health
care and their children school fees.”
PUNCH readers are not the only ones touched by the children’s story. PUNCH Metro also learnt that the Ogun State Government has offered to assist the father of the children.
The
proprietor of the school, Mr Samuel Ayegbusi, said some officials of
the Ogun State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development visited
the school on Wednesday with a promise to check back next week to see
how the government could be of help.
PUNCH
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