Four-month-old Felicia Red Cross is probably the most loved baby at the Red Cross Motherless Babies Home, Makoko, Yaba, Lagos. All the workers in the home seize every opportunity to caress her. She in turn responds to the love and care shown to her with a toothless smile. Although her sweet smile is one of the reasons that make her attractive, the workers said Felicia’s strong desire to live is the major reason she was their favourite.
PUNCH METRO gathered that she was enclosed in a sack and dumped at a section of the Third Mainland Bridge in September 2010 by an unknown person.
However, she was lucky as she was neither crushed by speeding vehicles nor suffocated until help came her way. This was how the baby found her way into the home.
The Matron of the home, Mrs. Juliana Obanife, told PUNCH METRO that Felicia was rescued by female officials of Lagos State Waste Disposal and Management Authority.
Obanife said, “Felicia was found on the Third Mainland Bridge. She was put in a sack and dumped there. The LAWMA women were sweeping the road and were about throwing the sack into their lorry when the child suddenly stretched her hands. That was when they discovered that a child was there. Although she was weak, she was still alive.
“They quickly rushed her to a hospital at Makoko area. It was from the hospital that she was brought here. Later, we took her to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba.
“Felicia is now well and healthy unlike the time she got here. All of us here love her and not only that, many people want to adopt her. A lot of them had been coming here and once they see her, they usually want to adopt her but we will only allow her to be adopted until when the government approves.”
She added that the baby was comfortable at the home except when there was power outage. She said that the workers had been trying to make her cope with the situation, adding that epileptic power supply from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria was the major constraint affecting the welfare of the home, which currently catered for about 38 babies.
She said, “The major challenge we have is irregular electricity. We used 10,000 litres of diesel everyday. We need an 18-seater bus to take the children to hospital and other necessary places. We also need baby foods, wears and, of course, money. Even salary to pay the staff is a problem. The government and people should support the home.”
Meanwhile, the Chairman, Nigerian Red Cross Society, Lagos branch, Mr. Mobolaji Onibudo, has said that emergency and rescue operations are being hampered in Nigeria by logistics and systemic problems. He said that many buildings and structure in the country were built in such a way that they obstructed emergency operations.
He spoke during a media briefing to mark the 50th anniversary of Red Cross in Nigeria and the N20 a day for the motherless/abandoned babies’ project in Lagos on Thursday. He said the Red Cross would perform better in service delivery if well funded.
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