Abandoned schoolchildren spend holidays with father

Life is no longer sorrowful for the three children abandoned for eight years by their father at Solid Rock Model College, Abule Iroko, in the Ado Odo-Ota Local Government Area of

Ogun State.

For the first time in over eight years, the children ─ Seun, 14; Titilola, 13; and Seyi, 10 ─ are spending their Easter holiday with their father, Segun Adepegba.

PUNCH Metro had exclusively reported the story of the abandoned children last year. Adepegba reunited with the children after reading the report on PUNCH Metro, saying hard times pushed him to the wall.

During a recent visit by our correspondent to the children, they relished the Christmas holiday spent with their father. They added that the Easter holiday they were currently spending with him was exiting.

Seun, the eldest, who is now in SS3, described the Christmas holiday experience as healing.

He said, “When we spent the Christmas holiday with my father, we did so for the first time in eight years. My siblings and I found the experience a memorable one. We were used to staying back in the hostel when other students left, but the story has changed. Our friends no longer saw us as strange children.”

While Titi and Seyi are with their father for the Easter holiday, Seun is presently in the school preparing for his Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination.

The proprietor of the school, Mr. Samuel Ayegbusi, said since the reunion, Adepegba had not paid the accumulated debt of the children’s school fees. He, however, added that the school would continue to bear the burden because it did not want the children to drop out of school.

He said, “Since they reunited with their father, their performances in class have improved. They spent the Christmas with their father and presently at home for the Easter holiday.”

It was gathered that efforts to locate the mother of the schoolchildren, Ruth Okochi, had continued to prove abortive.

A friend to Adepegba, Mr. David Haastrup, told our correspondent that he saw Ruth in the Gwagwalada area of Abuja last year, but that he had not seen her since then.

Haastrup promised to get in touch when he saw her. Our correspondent spoke with one of Ruth’s former employers who also said he did not know her whereabouts.

When our correspondent visited Segun Adepegba’s home, he expressed gratitude to Nigerians who donated to pay the children’s school fees.

He said, “I thank The PUNCH readers who expressed concern over my children’s welfare in the school. Things have been rough for me, but I am struggling to survive.

“It also feels good to have the children with me for the holiday. I am still on the lookout for their mother and I know I will locate her soon.”

It will be recalled that PUNCH Nigeria Limited, publisher of Nigeria’s most widely read newspaper, The PUNCH, had facilitated the setting up of an endowment fund for the children.

The decision was in response to requests by readers of The PUNCH, who had shown interest in paying the accumulated school fees of the children to ensure that they continue their education.

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 and to ensure they did not drop out of school.

PUNCH management had in October last year met with the Proprietor of Solid Rock Model College, Mr. Samuel Ayegbusi, and the Media Concern for Women and Children, a non-governmental organisation, to discuss the future of the children and the modalities for running the endowment fund.

The PUNCH readers, who are still interested to help the children, can pay into the First Bank account: SolidRock Model College-Adepegba Children Endowment Fund, 2026762179. Signatories to the account are Ayegbusi; the Executive Director of Mediacon, Dr. Olufemi-Kayode; and Bankole.

Photo Credit: TOLUWANI ENIOLA

Source: PUNCH