Life as a homeless teenager in Kaduna – Oshiomhole

•Shares his story with Boko Haram kid-survivors
*Lara, wife of ex-gov: I never believed my husband could rest

By Simon Ebegbulem, Benin-City

Immediate past Governor  Adams Oshiomhole and his wife, lara, spent the whole of  penultimate  Wednesday with children at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Ohogua, Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State and it was like a bumper harvest for the children.

The former governor and his wife donated bags of rice, beans, oil and several other items to the inmates. Apart from the donation, Oshiomhole spent quality time with the inmates in their class rooms, played football with them and inspected their hostels. In fact, Oshiomhole was impressed with one of the science teachers in SS two class due to the way he taught  the students and he gave him some cash reward.

The  former governor had built blocks of classrooms for the IDPs while he was in office. And lara, through her We Care Trust Project, has done a lot for the welfare of the inmates and that is why all the children attempted to hug the couple during the visit to show their appreciation.

Those who could not hug them battled to have a handshake with the couple and while Oshiomhole  made effort to hug the kids individually, it was not possible to do so with  the  over 2,000 inmates. However, lara, who addressed the inmates first, appreciated their  prayers  for her husband whom he said had been taking enough rest since he left office. “I am very happy to see the happy faces. The children  are happy and healthy.

I think Pastor  (coordinator of the IDP camp) is doing a great job. He has always been there for the children. Of course we will continue to support them with We Care Trust project even now that  we are out of office. This is one of many visits we have done and this is a continuous exercise. I am proud that the children are in school, that is one of the essence of my foundation. The children are preparing for the future and that is all they need.

We deserve rest after eight years of being in Government  House  of Edo State. I never knew my husband could rest but he can actually and he is doing well. We believe that the prayers of these children and that of many more people made him succeed as governor and I can tell you that we have passion to serve humanity and we will continue so  whether in or out of office”.

Oshiomhole, who spoke in Hausa language, while addressing the children, most of whom fled the North- East following Boko Haram attacks, said: “By God’s grace, one of you will become the nation’s President tomorrow. God has given you the rare gift to be alive and you are well taken care of here.

It is very touching to see little kids who are two years old, mothers but there is a future. Under President Muhammadu Buhari, Boko Haram is no longer hoisting flags in any local government. So, instead of people hiding from Boko Haram, it is Boko Haram that is  now running away from the Nigerian  Army. We are confident that the war against Boko Haram will be won and my brothers and sisters who want to return home will be able to do so.”

Speaking on  the condition of the camp, the former governor  said: “I think what is unique about what is going on here is that the children are not just in a concentration camp to be fed, we also  recognize that these children many of them are of school age, they are intelligent and that is why we built them a school.

Beyond surviving today, they need to be equipped to  survive the rigours of the future. I was very impressed when I sat in one of the class rooms watching and listening to a physics teacher, you could see that he is a competent teacher. Even more interesting is the way the students were flowing with the teacher, you will see  a  very interactive conversation between the teacher and the students. And  Pastor just told me that a lot of these children are doing well in science subjects which even children in the  normal environment, those are subjects that we have challenges with in Nigeria. I think that God has His purpose, who knows some of them may have been out of school if they were not here. So, I believe that among these children, God will perform his miracles.

I am excited about my wife’s commitment to the We Care Trust programme. I am happy to see some of them wearing the T-Shirt and the vest she distributed to them. We will like to do  more, we are really touched that so much can be done with little resources. I have been to public schools and saw how  difficult it is to control the children there but I don’t know how Pastor does it here; you can see how obedient and disciplined the children are.

The current governor (Godwin Obaseki) is just as committed and I am sure he will give them every support they  need. Because what a man needs  is not just bread, man cannot live on bread alone. It is okay to provide bread today for them but we must think of the future. If they are not equipped, if they are not educated, if they cannot read and write, then they cannot be bailed out of poverty. There is no miracle about upward mobility, the foundation for upward mobility is education.

Today they are in IDP camp but tomorrow they could be something else. I am never ashamed to tell people that when I got to Kaduna as a teenager, I still  remember that, after staying in a police station for three nights because I had nobody to take care of me, I moved into Gwari camp where I  stayed  for two weeks before I found somewhere.

So  my own life experience  and  listening to these kids when they have conversation with you, will be impressed about their level of intellect. And looking at their enthusiasm, they are not bogged down by self-pity. They have taken life as they found it and they are making the best  of it. I think this is the challenge in every camp to recognize that IDPs need food but much more than that. If it is one month they spent in that place, they should learn something so that they don’t lose out.

Even when we talk about farming now, farming cannot be the way our great grandfathers did it. It has to be through some deployment of modern machines and, if you cannot read and write, it is going to be difficult. But I feel this is a model of what is possible, with minimum government support and the sincerity of Pastor Folurunsho, they will survive. They need the love and support of every Nigerian and not just government, all of us can contribute to  make a difference”.

Expressing gratitude, Pastor Solomon Folorunsho, the coordinator of the camp, said the visit was quite touching due to the fact that the children missed the ex-governor and his wife who had always been there for them.  “The children always pray for him (Oshiomhole) because he is one in a million. He has continued to show care, love to these children despite the fact that he is no longer in office. We are praying that God will take him higher so that he will continue to take care of us”, Folorunsho stated.

On the condition of the camp, the man of God said: “We are living with them like good parents, we have a very strong relationship of father and child here and, of course, you know we are born-again Christians who believe that Jesus left heaven to come to the earth to die for us. We always need people around to  help so that the children can have resemblance of balanced diet. We need books for their school. We have over two thousand people here and Comrade has been very supportive and we are grateful”.

The post Life as a homeless teenager in Kaduna – Oshiomhole appeared first on Vanguard News.