In commemoration of this year’s World Orphans Day, the leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele and chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Olamilekan Adeola have donated the sum of N24 million to 13 orphanage homes in Abuja and Nasarawa state for their upkeep.
Making the donation at an event organised to mark the day by the Wife of Senator Adeola, Mrs. Temitope Adeola, through her non-government organisation, CHADASH, dedicated to widows and orphans, the two senators donated N12 million each to the orphanages with Senator Bamidele making an additional donation of N5 million for CHADASH and other senators making various pledges to the charitable NGO.
The benefiting orphanages include Gifted and Talented Orphanage, Facado Orphanage, Cherry Field Orphanage, Christ Bethel Orphanage, Dynasty Orphanage, and JKS Orphanage. Others are Shinning Star Orphanage, Queen Esther Orphanage, Maratha Care Children Home, Osaze Orphanage, Desired Orphanage, Purity Rose Orphanage and Gifted and Talented Home, Nassarawa.
Senator Adeola who described himself as an orphan having lost both parents stated that there are many challenges and difficulties confronting orphans as they live in sore society adding that like himself, they usually don’t have biological parents to stand up for them when it matters.
“I want to encourage all of us to be our brothers’ keeper in assisting orphans to properly fit into the society, I recall that even in political field I suffered discrimination as an orphan as some disputed my state of origin for political vindictiveness and my parents were not there to assert my indigene-ship of Ogun state. I am sure that the children before us are all Nigerians with various need and nothing must stop us from making them useful and productive members of the society,” he stated.
While disputing official estimates of orphans in Nigeria put at 17 million, Senator Adeola said their number would be in the region of 50million nationwide, promising to always participate in any effort, at government and private levels to address the challenges of orphans.