Humanity smiled at many underserved children who have almost lost hope and given up on life as Hajia Bashirat Oreagba, wife of Prof. Ibrahim Adekunle Oreagba, extended lofty hands of magnanimity to them and their families during the 2024 Eid-al-Adha.
Hajia Oreagba gathered family and a few friends to organise a befitting feast and celebrate with the children at the Ibeshe Ferry Terminal in Ikorodu local government area of Lagos State.
The outreach, Muslim News gathered, was launched in 2019 in her family apartment with 20 children to lighten their mood and show them genuine affection.
“This year, the turnout was very impressive, as not less than 200 children with their parents, mothers especially, benefited from this kind gesture,” said the convener.
In an interview with Muslim News, Hajia Oreagba added that the goal of the initiative is to impact lives.
According to her, the venue at Ibeshe Ferry Terminal was perfect because it is airy, spacious with TV, public address system and cooling system. It also provided an opportunity for the beneficiaries to appreciate the work of nature as they gazed at the flow of the sea.
“Last year, participants had the opportunity to board the local boat for adventure. But this time, we couldn’t move closer to the boat side because of the children.
“In the area, the people were very receptive. Initially, we were supposed to start by 10 a.m. but people started coming around 11 a.m to noon. Due to the late arrival, I went to the streets to mobilise more women. To my chagrin, the women were also joined by their men folks and participated in the programme.
“Some of the women we interviewed are not part of the people we invited initially. They were part of the women from Ibeshe that joined us, and they were quite active,” she said.
Hajia Oreagba disclosed that her quest to impact the community was inspired the outreach, saying that plans are underway to restructure the programme to accommodate a wider participation.
“It’s just to impact society. Presently, something is happening in Owode Ibeshe, and I’m already thinking about having an impact on the community, especially the children.
“Owode Ibeshe is very close to the riverside, but you realise that the omo onile (land owners) have sold out all the lands surrounding them. They’ve sold them or rented them out to the sand diggers. My family used to go there for exercise, to the nearby sea, but now, there’s nowhere we can go to relax or have exercise done, because they’ve sold everywhere.
“We then went to the chairman of the land owners to intimate them about the inappropriateness of the sale of the land and its implications.
Eventually, they admitted guilt and promised to make amends. We educated them on the advantages of preserving the area for recreational activities.
“I told my husband, Prof Oreagba, who is the president of the Islamic Medical Association of Nigeria (IMAN) and Chairman, Halal Certification Authority (HCA), that it would have been good for us to initiate a programme with the community, such as medical caravan, free basic check ups and free food, and still preach to them.
“So, we exchanged contacts and they were quite excited about the development .
“The environment reeks of poverty just as the young men in the community have all taken to smoking weed and consumption of dangerous substances. They are not engaged in anything tangible and the area lacks civilisation. That is one of the reasons we took this programme to the area.”
The convener said she was keen on reaching a larger pool of beneficiaries for the project, noting that the coming together of people from various backgrounds will foster love and advance humanity.
“Alhamdulillahi, I would like the programme to be more structured and have a wider reach. We want to invite more people so they’d see the need for this,” Hajia Oreagba, a food technologist, said.
“There is a need for the Muslim community to have a place to wine and dine, especially during the Sallah period.
This kind of programme which brings people together fosters love, development of Islam and growth of human beings as the community gets better.”
She thanked members of Halal Certification Authority for their donation of drinks that contributed to the success of the outreach. She also sent words of appreciation to women in the area who turned out massively at such short notice.
“Majorly, this project has been drawing support from myself and my husband. We are encouraging other public-spirited individuals to support it”, she noted.
The convener specially thanked the Chief Executive Officer of Aims Media, Hajia Aminah Muhammad, for joining the kids in the merriment.
“She came with some gifts and offered media services for the project.
“The Muslim community in Sanwo-Olu Estate also came. The Al-Mu’minaat (the Believing Women) branch of the Ibeshe branch also joined us in cooking for the programme.
“I’m grateful for their support that contributed immensely to the success of the outing.”
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Wow! Thank you for giving back to the less privilege in the Community. May God bless you more, Hajia Oreagba.