By Ayodele Abere
The Founder of Aged Heart Care Foundation, Chief Esan Ogunleye, has called on government at all levels in Nigeria to put in place a law that recognises the need to cater for the older people as obtainable in the civilised countries.
Chief Esan made the appeal at Ilupeju-Ekiti while addressing journalists during the 15th annual Arugbo Day celebration, held at his residence in Ilupeju-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
“He who has health, has hope and he who has hope, has everything”. He said noting that ageing is a natural phenomenon which its occurrence shouldn’t be regarded as a disease. Chief Esan who established the Foundation in 2008 at Ilupeju-Ekiti in Ifeloju Local Council Development Area of the State, has taken the provision of personal care needs and medical of the aged people in the Council area since fifteen years ago.
At the annual event, the aged people gathered in their numbers for medical check up and treatment of various ailments on Wednesday, 27th December, 2023.
Esan who grew up in the town attended Methodist Primary School, Ilupeju-Ekiti before proceeding to Ifaki-Ekiti Grammar School for his Secondary School education and later became a professional banker that doing it was a reflection of information and experience he garnered in his community.
In his word, “having observed over the years that when people grew up and leave school, gain employment or establish their own businesses, they hardly come back to the community and over time as a result of civilization, people tend to abandon the roots and the older people live more in the rural areas and they became uncatered for.
“I also realized that government at all levels don’t seem to cater for such old people. But I enjoy coming back home very frequently and I see very old people that grow helpless every year, their health deteriorates, their means of livelihood get depressed also and I know there’s nothing I could do much about it. But I believe if I as an individual would try my bit, perhaps other people would try to emulate.
The Atayese of Moba land noted that the idea was bought into by the group of people called the trustees headed by Mr. Femi Daramola. Adding that the organisation became registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
“Since then, we have made it our business to pay stipends to various people starting from Ilupeju-Ekiti with 39 oldest people and by developmental growth, we extended it to the neighbouring towns and villages including including Ijelu, Itapa, and Osin- Ekiti
“We set up the criteria for selecting beneficiaries because we can’t satisfy everybody. We initiated it on the basis of three oldest people in each of the communities and when they live and die, we replace them with the next group that are next in line. We have been very successful in the replacement criteria without rancor. It’s not by election or nomination. If in your family, you are the oldest, there’s nobody who can contest that, it’s not a question of being wealthier or more loved.
“We were delighted at some point down the road when Ekiti State government seemed to have introduced something similar but not exactly what we are doing. We have successfully managed the succession into the beneficiaries list year-in, year-out.
The founder of the Non- Governmental Organisation explained that the community of elderly people are growing each day and that the poverty level is increasing.
“So this we believe is one way of creating respite for the older people. The stipend we pay them every month is not enough but just to make a mark that this is possible. Then we try to take care of them because they are very lonely. Our trustees go around those homes to ask after their welfare. Sometimes we find them sick and take them to hospital, we give them medicament. If requires being admitted in the hospital, we go and deposit them in the hospital and the hospital takes over from there.
“We provide them with personal hygiene items like simple medicines to get them relieved. At the same time, at the end of each year, we gather them together. Some of them are eighty, ninety and hundred years old. They don’t go out anymore. We try to provide them with an avenue to come out once in a year and they are grateful for that. Majority of them are coming out for the first time this year.
“We sew dresses for them, we go around to their various homes, take their measurements, buy the dresses, pay the tailors, go and deliver it to them. That’s why they appear in the same uniform attire popularly referred to as Aso-Ebi.
“We engage musician to give them the music they haven’t heard for a long time. They will dance, they will feed and we roll that into providing them with Christmas gifts in a package that contains all types of things including uncooked food, personal hygiene items, soaps, drinks and some other little little things.
“We are grateful to a lot of our people who have witnessed this over the years and they are coming around to assist us by donations here and there that is enhancing the activity. So today, we are taking the benefits of such assistance. We intend to increase the monthly stipend by January 2024.
Giving the statistics of the beneficiaries so far, the Chairman, Aged Heart Care Foundation, Mr. Femi Daramola announced that a total of one hundred and eighty-six elderly persons had benefited including those who died and subsequently replaced.
Mr. Daramola said the Foundation has the plan of erecting Old People’s Home in future where the elderly within and around the scope of operations could collectively gather together to play, relax, listen to cool native music and exchange olden days jokes.
He used the occasion to appeal to Philanthropists and public Spirited persons to kindly provide relevant services for the benefit of the old people.
Similarly, the Outgoing Chairman of Ifeloju Local Council Development Area, Comrade Babatunde Ogunlugba, While calling on the well meaning individuals to emulate and support the initiative of Chief Esan Ogunleye, commended the gestures which he promised to support too.
Also, the former Minister of Education in Nigeria, Professor Tunde Adeniran said such initiative is an assurance that the future is great not just for Ilupeju-Ekiti but for Ekiti and Nigeria in general as he described the programme as soul lifting adding that Chief Esan Ogunleye deserves encouragement and commendation.
A beneficiary, the Oloja Siwo of Siwo, Chief Ade Ajiboye who said he has always been part of the programme since fifteen years ago,
urged government to come to the aid of the brain behind the initiative which he said has been very helpful to some aged people in the community especially those that could no longer travel to anywhere outside the town. He thanked God that he was able to attend the programme again this year.
In a similar vein, madam, Beatrice Abe said the programme has been very laudable since it’s inception as he prayed for Chief Ogunleye.
The event which had the traditional rulers, the Apeju of Ilupeju, His Royal Majesty, Sunday David Awe Akingbade, the Owatapa of Itapa-Ekiti, His Royal Majesty, Dr. Makanjuola Ajaja, the Elejelu of Ijelu, His Royal Majesty, Adetoyinb Ajayi, and some government functionaries in attendance equally featured award presentation for some deserving individuals as the highlight of the occasion.
