Nigeria’s first hospital gets orphanage centre

The late Most Supreme Apostle Matthew Omodayo Owotuga Foundation has unveiled an orphanage at the Sacred Heart Hospital, Lantoro, Abeokuta, Nigeria’s first hospital set up in 1895, owned and run by the Catholic Church.

At the commissioning, the Bishop, Catholic Diocese of Abeokuta, Most Rev. Peter Odetoyinbo, thanked the Owotuga family for the donation and enjoined many rich citizens to carry out empowerment programmes for destitute persons and orphans.

The chairman, Board of Trustees of the foundation, Samuel Jonathan, said the gesture was borne out of promoting the legacy of Owotuga who died 10 years ago. He said part of the foundation’s efforts since its inception in 2009, was to extend charity and gifts to different organizations, orphans and indigent children whose parents can’t pay their tuition fees.

According to him, the late Owotuga was a lover of education who enjoyed helping the less privileged, especially children with respect to their academic pursuits.

He said, “The late Owotuga had laid the foundation of kindhearted gesture before he died, so it is only mandatory that we continue his tradition; as such we have been able to reach out to indigent students who can’t pay their school tuition fees and for examinations, be it West African Examinations Council (WAEC) or the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB).

On her part, the first child the late Owotuga, Mrs. Agnes Ehinmowo, said that while the foundation has helped in paying up bills of hospital patients, giving out scholarships to indigent students, visiting Ibara prison, other orphanage homes, amongst others, she’s hopeful an orphanage centre will also be built in Ondo State soon where her late father hailed from the state.