Harness Potential of Orphans, Vulnerable Children for National Devt,  Ex-AU Official Advises

Fidelis David in Akure

A former Deputy Head, Social Director of the Africa Union (AU) Tolulola Olajibike Bayode, has observed the need for Nigeria to harness the potentials of orphans and vulnerable children for national development.

The philanthropist stated this on Wednesday evening at the one year anniversary of her charity and social development centre, the Dorian Home. in Akure, Ondo State capital.

The Dorian Home, which inaugurated by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on October 14, 2021, has 750 homes for children, a 500-capacity skill acquisition centre, a large hall for events, a modern clinic, and a worship centre.

Bayode said that her quest for providing succour to the poor and harness the potentials of orphans and vulnerable children for national development took up the responsibility of taking care of the children without external funding.

She said: “According to the United Nations, there about 20 million out of school children in Nigeria and this number keep rising. A large percentage of these children are out of school, not because their parents can’t afford their education but because they’re vulnerable and therefore abandoned.

“Initially, I wanted to randomly support and educate orphans and less privileged children around our community but when we started, we saw that that their large number was indeed enormous. From supporting the children and feeding them and their education, I saw a bad state of welfare in these orphanages, so, we decided to build a befitting and safe place for them.

“Ten years ago when we started, it was impossible that we would come this far. Today, we have built the largest orphanage home in Africa with the capacity of 750 rooms and the second largest in the world with no external funding.

“At Dorian Home, we place premium on our children’s safety, education and overall welfare. Today, when you look at the faces of our children, you see smiles that could lighten up the world. These smiles were not there when they first joined us at Dorian Home.”

Bayode also revealed that she recently took to Dorian Home, an 11 years old boy who was abandoned by his mother.

“Children face many challenges, especially orphans and less privileged that face even more. A large percentage of them are not in school and they are roaming the street. When we look at the rise in the various vices in our society, we can trace them in one way or the other to lack of law, care and attention to children, the less privileged in particular,” she said.

She added that orphans and less privileged children are more likely to be exposed to vices that have negative effect on the society, hence, the need to effectively invest in the children for national development.

Bayode said: “We will be missing out in some of our future greatest assets if we fail to do this because, Chief Obafemi Awolowo left us with the saying that the Children of the poor you failed to train today will never let your children leave in peace and the Bible says the children are the heritage of the Lord and blessed is he who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.”

In their separate remarks, a former Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, and a former Minister of State for Niger Delta, Senator Tayo Alasoadura, described the founder of Dorian Home as one of the individuals who have made a mark for themselves by living selfless life dedicated to making a difference.

They called on government to continue to partner with individuals and corporate organisations in complementing projects for the orphans and the vulnerable.

The National President, Naval Officers Wife Association (NOWA), Mrs. Nana Aishatu Gambo, and the President, Caribbean and African Faithbased Leadership USA, Dr. Agorom C., explained that being an orphan would not limit the greatness of a child in the future, noting that many great men in Nigeria and the world were orphans, hence the need to help the children in the orphanage category.