… Calls for more support from Govt, Orgs and individuals
Association of Orphanages and Homes Operators in Nigeria has appreciated Davido for the N250m donation.
Glamtush reports that the Association of Orphanages and Homes Operators in Nigeria (ASOHON) has celebrated and appreciated Nigerian singer, David Adeleke popularly known as Davido for his N250m donation.
Recall that for his birthday last year, the Award-winning singer said he wanted money to clear his Rolls Royce from the port ahead of his 29th birthday and his fans, families and friends donated the sum of N250m
Davido’s uncommon initiative eventually put smiles on the faces of two hundred and ninety-two (292) homes housing several orphans for residential care.
According to Rev. Dr. Gabriel Oyediji, National President of ASOHON at a press briefing, the association cannot estimate the value of this sovereignty in such a time like this when there is gross charity fatigue and negative regression co-efficient of Covid-19 pandemic.
Rev. Oyediji said, “We deeply appreciate Davido and hereby formally confirm that the fund was properly released. We also wish to confirm the disbursement though it was dotted with some hitches. We are not unaware of the inherent complications as identifying, verifying and confirming credible homes and orphanages by the committee saddled with the responsibility. We presented a total of 592 credible homes and orphanages across the country but only 292 were touched. Even so, several unregistered homes, closed down homes and non-existing homes were also included in the 292 benefitting.
“From our calculations, we figure that the sharing modality adopted by the Committee assigned by Davido allocated the average rate of N25, 000 per orphan in the beneficiary home. We also noticed some disequilibrium in the rating as some homes got lesser than the number of orphans in their homes while several others got nothing.”
The national president also appreciated the committee set up by Davido regarding the disbursement of the funds. He said the association appreciates the committee for the stress they went through in the disbursement despite the hitches identified during the process.
While appreciating Davido, the association also calls for more support from the government, organizations, and individuals.
“We really appreciate Davido’s initiative and wish to appeal to Nigerians of goodwill to emulate the superstar and reach out to orphans in Homes across the country. No home operator in the country receives sustained grants or funds, from the Government to run their homes.”
On the issue of over-regulation of orphanages in the country, Oyediji, while appreciating the proposed bill in the House of Representatives establishing a regulatory body for orphanages in the country, advised against unnecessary duplication of supervisory bodies and a waste of Nigerian scarce resources.
Instead, the association wants those bodies/organs to be strengthened with good funding and relevant resources to enhance their operations and do better on the job, rather than passing a bill to establish a fresh one.
“We appeal to our beloved lawmakers in the House of Representatives to reconsider their stand, drop the bill, and strengthen the existing regulatory organs,” he said.
Speaking on the adoption process in the country, he said, the rush for adoptable children in Nigerian orphanages is escalating and becoming disturbing. “The fact remains that there is a geometrical growing rate of families in need of a child to adopt, and arithmetical rate of children available for adoption.”
The association wants adoption laws and processes to be decentralized to allow applicants the opportunity of adopting children in any part of the country using a single approval paper.
Also, he added, “We are sincerely advocating for workable alternatives. Specifically, we are calling on the government to be proactive and allow child-raising alternatives like surrogacy and other medically approved methods of raising children,” he stated.
Dr. Oyediji also addressed different forms of insecurity threatening orphanages and home daily in their operations in the country.
According to him, the security challenges facing orphanages and homes in our country are multi-dimensional. Such insecurities include Health, food, education, and emotional among others.
To end eradicate or reduce the level of insecurity at orphanages, the association suggested robust funding and adequate provision of modern security equipment and security agencies for homes and orphanages.
They also recommended that the supervising ministries should be empowered so that they could provide the needed reliefs in the areas of funding, engagement of professional security outfits, maintenance of facilities in orphanages and homes, empowering homes with facilities like CCTV, ensuring good power supply, capacity building, free health insurance and enrolment with the NHIS among others.
