Residents of Oworoshoki area of Lagos, are yet to overcome the shock of the lightening which struck Celestina Farotide, a Senior Secondary School, SSS 3 student of Muslim College, dead, Tuesday.
Worst hit, is the deceased’s devastated grandmother who has been caring for her, right from when she was a toddler. Words, could not describe the expression on the face of the 65-year-old woman, Mrs Funmilayo Adekoya,when Crime Guard visited her Oworoshoki residence, where sympathizers were seen consoling her.
As if the death of Celestina was not devastating enough for mama, as she is fondly called, Crime Guard gathered that there were pressure on her from the late Celestina’s biological father identified as Mr Oke Farotide, to produce his daughter hale and hearty for him.
From the foregoing, it was obvious that there could be a strained relationship between Mr Farotide and the deceased’s maternal grandmother.
This was made evident as mama revealed in tears: “ I sent a message to her father three days after her demise but he said it was not his daughter that is dead, that we should go and look for his daughter. Since the incident, none of his family has come here. It is obvious I will have to bury my grand-daughter just as I cared for her during her life time.
I have been taking care of her right from when she was four and half months old in her mother’s womb. You see, Oke and my daughter, Adeola Adebowale, (Celestin’s mother) were in a relationship until she told him she was pregnant. But he denied the paternity and I was left with no choice than to take my daughter in.
He lives around Mowe, and has been nonchalant about Celestina’s well-being when she was alive. The last time I heard from him was when Celestina was 13. He showed up and told me he wanted to take his daughter. He even brought a police man to arrest me. But I told him at the station that if he thought he could surface after 13 years, to demand for a child he did not know how she had fared all these years,then he was joking. I told him I won’t release her to him until he starts behaving responsible enough. Since then, I have not seen him until Celestina’s demise”. At this point, she burst into tears and sympathizers consoled her.
She did not live to fulfill her dream
After a long silence, mama looked at everyone around and asked, “So, Celestina, my baby is gone”? She thereafter, turned to this reporter and continued, “ I had planned to send her to Yaba College of Education to study Architecture after her secondary education because she showed great interest in drawing. She had always bragged of becoming a renowned Architect. But she never lived to see her dream come true”, she said shaking her head.
Narrating how news of Celestina’s demise reached her, mama said, “She left for school around 7:30am that Tuesday. But at about 8:30am, I was called on the phone to come to Gbagada General Hospital that my granddaughter had been rushed there. But when I got to there, I met her dead!
From what I was told, they were about having their Food and Nutrition practical examination in the ongoing Senior Secondary School Examination that morning. She had already decorated the table she would use to bake cake. While they waited for the exams to commence, she and two other classmates decided to go out and get something to eat.
It was while they were on their way back that thunder struck. The three girls fell down but two of them rose up and ran. They said Celestina rose up too, but that the lightening struck the second time .She fell and never got up again. My granddaughter remained still, on the ground . The shout of help from her friends attracted other students and teachers who rushed her to the hospital.
I still can’t believe that my granddaughter is no more. She was a very good and obedient child; full of life with so much anticipation for the future”, the Ishara Ijesha, Osun State born 65-year-old woman said amidst uncontrollable tears.
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