Foundation boss adopts eight-year-old sign language interpreter

Eight-year-old Ifeanyi Obiego, a male deaf and dumb sign language interpreter, has been adopted and awarded scholarship by the Chairman of Jandor Foundation, Olajide Adediran, during an empowerment programme in Ojo Local Council in Lagos, this week.

Mr Adediran announced the adoption and scholarship offer while addressing artisans of various categories that benefited from the empowerment programme of the foundation at the event.“I saw the boy standing on a chair during the program and interpreting in sign language. I was impressed by his courage because I was once like him.

“I decided to adopt him to see to his well-being and sponsor his education from basic to the university,” Adediran said. Ifeanyi, who is in primary three at Rojenny Children School, Ojo only came to the event alongside his father to interpret for the physically challenged.

His father, Ndubuisi Obiego, is deaf and dumb and one of the Ojo Deaf Association representatives who represented the physically challenged at the empowerment programme.

The Jandor Foundation Coordinator in Ojo, Moses Ojo, narrated how the boy came to the event saying, “Bisola was the person that usually interprete for us, but she was not available so I asked them to bring the boy. He did it perfectly and luck shined on him.”

In a related development, the NGO also gave 11 beneficiaries trip to Mecca for the 2019 hajj while a remarkable number of Ojo indigenes were also empowered with cash to start small-scale businesses that will sustain them.

All the artisan groups and associations in Ojo Federal Constituency which comprised Ojo, Iba and Oto-Awori were adequately empowered with work tools, and machines such as clippers, sowing machines, grinding machines and cash. Market women were also part of the beneficiaries as they received packs of food items and cash to boost their various businesses.

The hajj beneficiaries appreciated the foundation and the lead visionary for impacting peoples’ lives, praying for abundant blessings on him and the foundation.

In his own speech, His Royal Majesty, Onijanikin of Ijanikin, Oba Ashafa Momodu Afolabi, commended Jandor Foundation and Adediran, for giving back to the people.

He used the opportunity to challenge all sons and daughters of Awori land to emulate the entrepreneur by learning how to give, no matter how small. He also warned the beneficiaries not to sell what they benefited from the NGO.Present at the historic occasion were the Oloto of Oto, Oba Josiah Olarenwaju Aina; Olojo of Ojo, Oba Galib Adeniyi Rufai; Ojon of Ejigbo, Oba Morufu Ojo- ola; Elewu of Ewuland, Oba Shakirudeen A Kuti; Onishasha of Shasha, Oba Nosiru Ogunronbi Lawal Babatunde and Onimore of Imore and Apapa, Oba Taofeek Adegboyega Akeju among other dignitaries.