Okobaba Destitute Home is a community where great destinies are nurtured. It is located in the heart of Lagos in Ebute Metta. It was established by the Lagos State Government, under the administration of the former Military governor, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd.).
During a visit by the Tina Ikeah Peters Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, The Destitute Home received food and water and smiles were put on the faces of residents. It is a home to the less privileged and persons with disabilities.
The home was established to provide support, shelter and help to the needy. The community has 3 different sections, which are, the physical disability community, the lepers community and the blind community. Being administered simultaneously, each community has its own leader. The leader of each community has the same disability as the members of the community.
For instance, the leader of the physical disability community has a physical disability, the leader of the blind has partial blindness, likewise, the leader of the lepers is a leprosy survivor. It is perceived that the members of the community need good health care, more shelter and rooms, comfort, food, sanitation and good living conditions.
During the visit, each leader guided their community, ensuring that everyone received the support delivered by the team of the foundation. The community representative, Abdullahi Garba, welcomed visitors and organised support for his community
Speaking about the support that they receive, Garba said “we have three sections here, the section of the leprosy, the cripple and the blind. Anything people bring here, they share into three. We share in an easy way, no rushing. The government brings food, even NGOs, all the time, to build a long life and prosperity.”
The gift items were distributed with care to the people of the community in the three sections, including the men, women and children.
Muhammed Baba, the Community Secretary, who made sure no community was left behind, solicited help and support from the government and the public.
He said, “as we live in this community, we need help. Whether it is giving us food, money, clothing, or education for our children, our health care provision.”
One of the beneficiaries, Ahmad Abubakar, the leader of the physical disability community pleaded for support from people and NGOs and also thanked the team for their support. ¨
‘Feed 100’ 2.0 is not just a charity event, but a living tribute to the late mother of Tina Ikeah and her siblings, keeping the memory alive through an act of kindness and generosity
When asked about the motive behind the project, Uche Ikeah, a co-founder of Tina Ikeah Foundation, said, “The project was initiated to commemorate my mum´s posthumous birthday, which was last year. So, we felt the need to put smiles on our faces. That was the need for us to initiate the project ‘Feed a 100´.
“And here, we are gathered today at Okobaba Destitute Home to put smiles on faces, to distribute food packs and also to enable them to know that they are loved and cherished. So that´s the reason we are here today.”
While Tina Ikeah Foundation has supported the community members of Oko Baba Destitute Home, it is important that the government takes into consideration the overall well-being of the community members, and not just limit it to the provision of food items.
This article was written by Ezekiel Gbemisola, MSc Student (2023/2024) of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, following the training on Disability Reporting facilitated by Blessing Oladunjoye, Publisher of BONews Service.