Benjamin Njoku
16 March 2008
Lagos — THE pupils looked warmth and excited. Some of them hugged him while others kept on gazing at him helplessly. To them, it was a cherished moment to forget about their conditions and feel reintegrated into the larger society.
Their cheerless lives, for once, assumed a drastic meaning as they sang and chanted special songs composed for their august visitor. '2Face you are welcome. We are happy to see you. We love you and all your friends that have come here today to visit us.' the pupils chanted excitedly.
For the less-privileged at the Federa-tion of Moslem Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) orphanage in Ibadan, penultimate Tuesday would remain indelible in their minds as the day their lives assumed a new turn. On that day, their night broke forth into day as they bewilderedly watched an unusual crowd of artistes and MTN officials invade their home unannounced. 2Face's momentous visit to the orphanage was part of the itinerary for the on-going tour of six Nigerian cities by superstar and other local and international music acts.
The programme is tagged "MTN XtraCool tour with 2Face and Friends" and sponsored by MTN in collaboration with Dojoes, a Lagos based marketing company. At the orphanage located at the Orita Bashorun area of Ibadan, the over 40 children, within the ages of one and fifteen, were excited to behold the fast rising Nigerian musician pay their home a courtesy visit. Carrying placards, the children proclaimed love for the Nigerian pop idol. It was, indeed, a moment of ele-vation for the poor children as they literarily were all over him, singing and chanting special songs composed for him. The children also presented a playlet in honour of their visitors.
Overwhelmed by this inspiring visit, Proprietress of the home, Alhaja Sururat Oyero, thanked MTN and 2Face for finding time to shower love on the orphanage, which she said had been in the vanguard of caring for orphans for almost 21 years and had catered for about 84 children so far. According to her, the home subsists on voluntary donations from members, public spirited individuals and corporate organizations from across the country, adding that the orphanage receives no subvention from the government. She said members sometimes pay the school fees of the children from their private resources. 'FOMWAN is a faith based organization whose cardinal goal is to cater for the welfare of women and children.
The Oyo State chapter is particularly interested in the care of motherless children,. We exist in all local government areas of Oyo State. We receive children from the state and outside. We started this home with a set of quadruplet from Osogbo, who have been abandoned on us since 1987.
In all, we have taken care of 84 children." she narrated In his response, 2Face who came with his entourage, praised the found-ers of the home for their dedication to giving hope to the hopeless in society. He urged them to keep up the good work, adding that it is only God that would repay them. "I am impressed by the dedication you people show to these little ones. Through what you are doing, some of them may grow up tomorrow to be like 2Face Idibia. We are all what we are today because someone cared for us when we were helpless. That is why we should all care for one another. It is only God that will reward you for the love and effort you put in helping the helpless," he stated.
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