- Safiu Kehinde
Human rights activist and singer, Adetoun Onajobi, popularly known as Just Adetoun, has apologized to a street sweeper she earlier called out for bringing her 11-year-old to work at 4:30am in Ikoyi.
The activist had come under immediate backlash after her video where she slammed the woman, simply identified as Madam Peace, for bringing her daughter to work on Monday morning surfaced online.
Visiting the family at the Oworonshoki residence, Adetoun broke down in tears as she apologized to the mother of four.
She claimed she never intended to disrespect her as she asked for forgiveness.
As captured in the initial video she posted earlier, Adetoun had challenged the unidentified woman in her Ikoyi estate, accusing her of child labour and exploitation.
While ordering the girl to drop the broom in the front of her helpless mother, Adetoun threatened to take the child away from woman and hand her over to a social welfare if she sees her working in the estate again.
“If you want to come and do your job, you do your job. But you don’t bring an 11-year-old girl as early as 4:30, 5, 6 for child labour. Do we understand that? I’m not gonna listen to your predicaments today. I can give you time to listen to your predicaments but don’t ever bring this girl out. Drop the broom and go and sit down there. Until you are done, you can go back home with her.” Adetoun said.
While being interrogated by the activist, the woman explained that the girl followed to her work as school is on holiday for the Eid-Filtri celebration.
She said her husband is at home with the other kids.
Adetoun, however, chided the woman for child labour.
“Child labour is wrong. You can tell her to sweep the premises at home. That’s training. But not you bringing somebody all the way from Iyana-Oworo to Ikoyi to come and be sweeping. It’s not allowed.
“If you try it again and I see her, that is the last day you will see your daughter. We’re gonna take her into custody where she will be properly taken care of because I want to assume that you cannot afford to take of this child that is why you are exploiting her now.” The activist said.
Following the backlash, Adetoun in a separate video visited the woman at her residence with some members of the estate as she publicly apologized while she explained, amid the tears, the reason behind her initial action.
As captured in the video, mother broke down in tears following the arrival of Adetoun who also went emotional as she embraced bother the mother and child while explaining reason for her action.
“I know the condition, but we need to save the children first. We don’t want our children to suffer what we are suffering. We can go out and hustle and nobody sees our pains. That is why we are mothers. Mothers don’t allow their children see their pains. You can go out and hustle but not in front of your child.” She said.
Adetoun further explained that the she had not intention of disrespecting the woman.
“First of all before we go to the nitty-gritty, something is very important and that is our mental health and mutual respect for every child and mother.
“When I saw this woman this morning, I knew something was wrong. But without being emotional and sentimental, looking at where we are coming from, the child was a priority for me and that was why I said we will attend to her case and listen to her and come around to help her.
“But the way everybody perceived it is totally different. My humble self as a mother and somebody who has pledged her loyalty to protect every child.” She said before kneeling down apologized to the woman.
Adetoun, however, disclosed that the woman is only paid N19,500 per month at the estate as she further explained her motive for challenging her.
“Times are hard and things are hard. But our children should not suffer somethings. 90 percent of my life now, I work on the field. I have seen so many cases. I have seen people in the name of wanting to train a child, they beat their children, transferring aggression and frustration.
“I have seen people in the name trying to say they are training their child, they exploit their children and other people help them to exploit their children. That was the motive this morning.
“Many don’t understand that things have changed and the world has changed. Our children are very important to us.
“We have agreed to help her. These are four children. What pained me the most was when I did my investigation after I left her. She came all the way from Oworonshoki to Ikoyi for just N19,500 only per month.
“She took this young girl and bring her to sweep and she only get paid N19,500 after 30 days. What kind of inhumanity is this?
“Madam Peace please I want to pleas with you and to everybody, I am dedicated to what I do, but I don’t mean to disrespect anyone.
“We already placed her on a monthly salary but it is not even enough with the situation of what I am seeing here.
“It takes not less than 30 minutes to walk from here to Oworonshoki bus stop before she can even get a bus,
“So, that means this girl wakes up as early as 3am.” Adetoun said.
Meanwhile, she disclosed that the Estate Chairman had warned against workers bringing their children to work which was confirmed by the estate’s security operative and supervisor who accompanied the activist.
“Please even the Estate Chairman said they don’t want it. Nobody should come to work with their children.
“Once again, whichever way you guys have perceived it, I apologize. I don’t mean to disrespect anyone of you, no mean demoralize you, no mean to cause any damage to your mental health either to mine.
“But her children need to stay protected regardless of what we are going through. That is why there is a difference between being a woman and a mother. We cry but I’m the face of our children, we are strong. In the face of our children, we can go extra miles.
“But when we expose this children, we also have to put our mental health. A lot of children grew up in the society having memories being traumatized. They grow up being wicked. They grow up being vulnerable to so many things. And this is just because of the way their parents exposed them.
“So, sometimes, exposing these children is not training them. Exposing these children is demoralizing them, dehumanizing them. Once again, please I apologize.” Adetoun said.