Widow who lost only son in Abuja school SPEAKS
On Wednesday, March 1, was not a good day for Mariam
Nnenna Ogbe. It was a tragic day – a day of tears and anguish. It was the day
the widow, who lost her husband 12 years ago, lost her only son.
A few minutes after 2pm on that fateful day, her phone
rang. It was a distress call from ASACS International Staff School, Bwari, and
Abuja. Her son, Michael Ogbe, was an SS3 student at the school. Immediately she
picked the call, the voice from the other end informed her about the sudden
misfortune that had visited her son, and which resulted in the lad’s premature
death.
She quickly abandoned what she was doing where she worked
and rushed to the school to know what could have happened.
ASACS, a school that serves as staff school for Dorben
Polytechnic, is located directly behind First Bank and also shares a fence wall
with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in Bwari, Abuja.
The school is owned by the founder of Dorben Polytechnic,
Dr. A.B Ekwere. The school runs day and boarding services, and has students
from different parts of the federal capital.
MARCH 1
On that fateful day, the late 16-year-old Michael, who
was the only son of his parents, was engaged in sporting activities along with
other students in the school premises when the sad incident occurred.
Investigations by the reporter confirmed that Michael had
earlier in the morning complained to the school authorities, precisely the school
clinic, that he wasn’t strong enough to engage in sporting activities.
It was gathered that the school has not had a sports
master for quite a long time. It was also gathered that, though the school has
a clinic, the facility wasn’t equipped to cater to the medical needs of
hundreds of students attending the school.
A student that pleaded anonymity said the school clinic
had no qualified doctors and nurses to attend to the medical needs of students,
even on a sports day.
Another student asserted that Michael had earlier in the
morning complained of ill health.
“He visited the school clinic in the morning, but a nurse
on duty asked him to take his breakfast first and then return for medication.
“Michael, after the meal, felt a bit stronger and
immediately joined his friends on the pitch. I assumed that he totally forgot
that he had earlier requested for medical attention, and the nurse that he
spoke with probably forgot to remind him of the need for his medication.
“We were surprised when he joined us in the game. We
asked him not to participate in the sporting activities since he was
complaining about his health. But he insisted and told us that he was fine and
would visit the school clinic after the sporting activities. And we all agreed.
“His love for the Yellow House where he belongs made him
to participate in the sporting activities. He choose high jump, probably
because of his height.
“When he jumped, we thought all was well. A mattress had
been provided at the other end of the pitch, but Michael, probably due to his
height, jumped and landed on his back beyond where the foam was. He landed on
the bare floor and fainted instantly. That was the beginning of the
tragedy.
“He was rushed to the school clinic, which was obviously
ill-equipped.
The medical personnel there tried all they could to revive him,
but all was to no avail. When it became obvious that they were fast losing the
battle, they rushed him to the nearby Bwari General Hospital where the doctors
and nurses also battled until he gave up the ghost.”
AT BWARI GENERAL HOSPITAL
Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Osayende Osagie
said he was around when the late Michael was brought to the hospital, informing
that he mobilized all the doctors to save the life of the student. He said the
medical team tried, regretting that Michael could not be saved.
He, however, refused to release the medical records of
the late Michael. He said the request must be put in writing and passed through
appropriate channels; including the Federal Capital territory (FCT) Hospitals
Management Board before such records could be released to anyone.
AT THE HOME OF THE OGBES
As the news of Michael’s sudden death filtered in, the
entire neighborhood became disorganized. Shock, disbelief and confusion
pervaded the air. Friends, family members and neighbors rushed from far and
near to the home of the Ogbes to get the true picture of the story.
The reporter was one of the early callers. It was indeed
a harvest of tears. While some neighbors congregated inside the house to
console with the wailing mother, some others were standing in pairs by the wall
and under the tree, discussing the ugly development.
Some blamed Michael’s death on the school management who
they said exhibited a careless attitude towards the lives of their students.
But others heaped the blame on the Ministries of Education and Health for not regularly
carrying out their supervisory roles on schools.
Michael’s mother was grief-stricken. She told the
reporter that the school should be held responsible for the death of her son.
She accused the school management of ineptitude and carelessness in handling
the affairs of the students.
“I am a widow. In fact my husband died 12 years ago, and
I had invested all the resources I had in my children. As a matter of fact, I
have secured university admission for Michael at Kwantlen Polytechnic
University in Canada and all documentations have been processed. Now, I have
lost him due to the carelessness of ASACS school management.
“He was a great and young bright mind that took interest
in software engineering and cyber security. He achieved what people at his age
couldn’t achieve. We had great plans for him to get better and quality
education abroad to support his IT plans. But all that has gone with the wind.
I will greatly miss him,” she said.
She said the relevant authorities should charge the
school management for manslaughter. She also accused the federal Ministries of
Education and Health of failing in their responsibilities to properly supervise
the schools to regularly keep them in check on how they run their schools.
SCHOOL KEEPS MUM
Meanwhile, the school authorities are keeping mum on the
matter. Attempts by the reporter to speak with the principal, general manager
and proprietor of the school were unsuccessful.
The school principal wasn’t on seat when the reporter
called, but the general manager declined comments. He said the proprietor had
not authorized him to speak with journalists on the issue.
When contacted on phone, the proprietor, Dr. A.B Ekwere,
neither answered his calls nor replied text messages sent to his phone.
what ah sh***t ..............
A young n*gg* with great future gone just like that
may his soul rest in perfect peace
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