Dangote’s gift of life for mentally-ill undergraduate
Khadijat and Dangote
THERE is hope for Khadijat Oluwatoyin Sanya, the mentally-ill undergraduate of Lagos State University (LASU), whose story appeared in The Nation on June 13.
Business giant Alhaji Aliko Dangote, was moved to pity after reading the sad story of the 300-Level Business Administration student.
He sent a cheque of N850,000 for her treatment.
Members of the Arowojobe Community, Oshodi, Lagos, where Khadijat had been roaming the streets after she ran amok in 2009 before she was rescued and taken to a private psychiatric hospital, appealed to public spirited individuals for assistance.
They pleaded for help to defray her medical and rehabilitation bills. They set up a trust fund for that purpose. Dangote responded to their plea.
He sent the cheque to Khadijat Oluwatoyin Sanya Trust Fund. The cheque was presented to The Nation on Thursday.
By 10am the following day, The Nation, through its correspondent Mr. Jude Isiguzo, transferred the cheque to the funds’s managers.
Those who received the cheque were the Secretary of the Community Development Association (CDA), Mr. Sunday Akani Alade, the General Overseer of Christ Light House Church, Rev. Joshua Oguntulu and the Imam of Aye-Gbesin Central Mosque, Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Abdur-Rahman.
Alade, who spoke for the committee, thanked Dangote for his gesture and prayed God to protect every member of his family.
His words: “We thank Dangote so much for this gift of life. We did not know that help will come this quick. He will be successful in all his business. His business will continue to grow. This kind of sickness will not befall any member of his family. The community decided to take responsibility of the girl when it was discovered that there was no one to take care of her”.
Alade noted that when Khadijat is completely healed, the community would need more funds to rent an apartment for her and also establish a cottage business for her to continue her education.
“We are appealing to other good- spirited Nigerians to assist in emulating Dangote.”
Khadijat, 32, suddenly became mentally deranged midway into her studies and was rushed home by her colleagues.
It was gathered that the woman, described by many as brilliant and promising, is also a student in a private school of aviation, where she is undergoing air transport.
According to a source, her poor parents broke down and in the search for a solution to the strange ailment; her father fell off from a Molue bus at Oshodi.
“The injury he sustained did not only land him in the hospital, he also underwent surgery that has kept him virtually bed-ridden since then,” the source said.
It was learnt that Khadijat ran out of her parents’ home and was on the streets of Oshodi and its environs before help came.
In a collaborative effort, the Adeyemi/Arowojobe Community Development Association (AACDA) and Aiye-Gbesin Central Mosque opted early in year to rescue her. They took her to a Lagos hospital, where she has been undergoing treatment. She is reported to be responding to treatment.
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