*Needs N12m surgery, abandoned by company
The danger and horror of high tension electric cables falling on citizens at bus stops and market places in Nigeria have been further brought home to everyone with
the horrifying accident that happened to Mr. Seyi Oguntade.
The incident has left
Oguntade, 28, scarred for life, with his face and eyes completely gone.
Indeed, there are only
empty sockets were his eyes supposed to be. His nose is also gone. There is a
hole in the centre of his head which is emitting a nauseating stench.
According to the New Telegraph, the well-ordered life of
Oguntade abruptly shifted on March 27, 2013. He presently needs N12 million for
a face reconstruction surgery. The management of the company he used to work
before his accident, actually lent a helping hand, but later allegedly
abandoned him.
Oguntade,
an assistant driver with Billy James Company, Ijesha, Lagos, was sent on errand
to deliver a mast to one of his company’s clients somewhere in Ikeja when life
practically seemed to stop for him.
Oguntade
could not make the delivery that day because he was said to have arrived late.
As a result, he decided to pass the night in the truck with which the mast was
conveyed, hoping that the delivery would be made first thing the following day.
While
he was sleeping, a high tension electric cable fell on him that night, causing monumental
damage to his face and life.
Although,
he survived it, his face was battered beyond recognition.
His
scream attracted people who rushed him to the General Hospital, Ikeja, where he
was rejected and was later taking to Lagos University Teaching Hospital, (LUTH).
There, the basic treatment to keep him alive was administered on him.
Jude
Chukwuka, an actor, philanthropist and coordinator of Ozanam Heritage Initiative,
a non-governmental organisation, explained that after some time, the hospital
management made it clear that for Oguntade to live his normal life again, he
needed a facial prosthesis and facial reconstruction i.e. Plastic Surgery of
the face. This however could only be done in India.
Chukwuka
said: “The Company he was attached to as a contract staff took care of him at
the initial stage of the accident but later abandoned him when it was obvious
that the case would require huge funds. Since the family could not afford the
fund, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, decided to wade in, on April, 2014. Since
then, the organisation has been making available the sum of N5, 000 every
Wednesday for his upkeep.”
Chukwuka
said that Ozanam Heritage Initiative was also making efforts to generate the
sum of N12 million required for the surgery in India.
“At
the moment, nothing significant has been realised, hence the need for well-meaning
Nigerians to assist. Mr. Oguntade has a wife and two children. He also has
elderly parents to carter for. He deserves a chance to live a normal life
again,” said Chukwuka. “It is in the light of this that Ozanam Heritage
Initiative, in conjunction with Society of St. Vincent de Paul, are calling on
philanthropic individuals, corporate organizations, the media and the
government to come to the aid of this victim of circumstance.”
The
president of Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Mrs. Remi Badmus, said that a
friend told her about Oguntade plight, adding that when she eventually saw him,
she was deeply touched and decided to also bring in her knowledge and those of
her colleagues.
Badmus
noted: “Seyi needs every one of us, to be back to life.”
Donations
can be made through: First Bank Plc. Account name: Ssvp Save Seyi Oguntade,
Account number: 2026864396 or Diamond Bank Plc.: Account number: Save Seyi
Oguntade, Account number: 0057655379
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