- Safiu Kehinde
Popular Nigerian Chess master and philanthropist, Tunde Onakoya, has offered academic sponsorship to 11-year-old girl whose mother was challenged by human rights activist, Adetoun Onajobi, for her to work.
NPO Reported that the activist popularly known as Just Adetoun, had yesterday morning called out a street sweeper in an estate in Ikoyi area of Lagos for bringing her daughter to work.
Adetoun had accused the mother of four, simply identified as Madam Peace, of child labour as she threatened to take her daughter away from her and hand her over to social welfare if she ever spot the girl sweeping with her mother in the estate.
The activist came under immediate backlash, prompting her to locate woman and her family at their Oworonshoki residence.
Adetoun publicly apologized to the woman while promising to assist her as she also urged Nigerians to come to her aid.
Reacting in a post on his X handle on Tuesday, Onakoya condemned Adetoun’s initial video which he described as cruel humiliation of the mother in the presence of her daughter.
The Guinness World Record holder recounted how he also assist his mother in sweeping people’s house back in 2016.
Onanuga offered to full responsibility for the girl’s education through university as he held that what she and her mother deserve is compassion.
“Extremely cruel to humiliate a mother in front of her daughter like this. Even worse that this was recorded and posted on social media.
“My mother used to sweep people’s houses and gutters in 2016. It hurt too much that I could do nothing financially to stop her.
“I often insisted on going with her, just to help fetch the water she needed so we could finish quicker and get back home before daylight.
“I didn’t want anyone to see us. The poverty that pushes one to hide their labour in the dark is a painful one.
“Yes, that child should not be working. But more than outrage, what she and her mother deserve is compassion. The only humane response is to help.
“If no one has done this already, I would like to take full responsibility for the girl’s education through university. I hope this eases their burden in some way. These are incredibly hard times.
“Our Privilege blinds us in ways we’ll never truly understand.” Onakoya wrote.