Culled from Punch
Two weeks after his son flew from Benin City to Lagos in the wheel
compartment of an aircraft belonging to Arik Air, Daniel Ohikhena’s
father denies claims that he abandoned his family.
Little is known about Daniel Ohikhena, the 13-year-old stowaway who flew
from Benin City to Lagos in the wheel compartment of a plane belonging
to Arik Air, by his schoolmates at Ogbe Junior Secondary School in the
Edo State capital.
Shortly before his celebrated escapade, Daniel’s mother, Mrs. Evelyn
Ohikhena, had withdrawn him from a private secondary school for want of
money to pay his tuition fees. She had enrolled him in OJSS, which was
about 500 metres from her residence.
Investigation by our correspondent shows that the teenager had spent
only a term in his new school before embarking on the dangerous
adventure. A source said, on condition of anonymity, that Daniel joined
the school, popularly known as ‘Ezoti Junior’ just before the end of the
third term.
A youth named Festus, who also resides in the same neighbourhood as the
stowaway boy, said the latter was not popular in the area.
“We hardly know him. It was recently that we heard he lives in the
neighbourhood. I have not seen much of him. He was very quiet at school.
I have not known him for long,” he said.
However, events took a dramatic turn on Tuesday
when the boy’s father, Osaigbovo Ohikhena, 44, materialised as if from
nowhere. Earlier, his wife (Daniel’s mother) had claimed that they did
not live together.
Mr. Ohikhena, who is a driver by profession, said he had been separated
from his family for a year because of a misunderstanding between him and
Daniel’s mum. But he denied the latter’s claim that he abandoned his
family.
“I always pay my children’s school fees and provide money for their
feeding regularly, contrary to claims that I abandoned my family. After I
lost my job, I decided to move to a cheaper apartment and told my wife
that they should move in with me. But she refused and continued to stay
in the three-bedroom flat. My new residence is located on Siluko Road. I
decided to come here (Government House) to tell the world that I am the
father of Daniel.
“Initially, when I heard the news, I thought my son was kidnapped. But
my wife said I should calm down and she promised to get back to me when
everything is finally okay. I never dreamt of going to America nor am I
married to another woman. My wife refused to give the DSS my phone
number when they asked for it,” he said.
Giving an insight to what could have been responsible for the teenager’s
strange behaviour, an expert and sociologist at the University of
Benin, Dr Kingsley Omoyibo, described him as suffering from maladjusted
personality, due to inability to mix. Omoyibo did not only warn against
labelling the teenager a criminal because of his action; he recommended
that the youngster be made to undergo rehabilitation.
Noting that what happened to Daniel could have resulted from his
experience in his home, the don urged the boy’s parents to live up to
their responsibilities in order to prevent untoward behaviour from their
children in the future.
He said, “Like we learnt, the boy is a recluse. He has a withdrawn
personality because he does not mix. This is why he acts the way he
does. This condition is capable of making him do damage not only to
himself, but to his siblings and his immediate environment.
“The boy needs to be rehabilitated. Although we cannot say that his
attempt to stowaway in the wheel compartment of an aircraft is criminal
behaviour, it is a devious act that must have been propelled by lack of
adequate parental care. I do not know the background, but what we can
extrapolate from this is that the home is not stable.
“You will find out that there is a lacuna in the upbringing of the boy
and consequently, it has affected the way he reasons and appreciates
societal issues. The way he sees the complexity of society is different
from a child that has complete socialization. The boy is suffering from
maladjusted personality.
“Indeed, that child, I still maintain, is not a criminal. In the process
of maladjustment, he is exposed to odious things. For a child to keep
all night watching films, it tells a lot about his state of mind.”
Now that a group known as De RAUFS has offered the teenage stowaway
scholarship up to university level, it is the duty of his parents to
seek ways of reshaping his character for a better future.
By: Martynz Hipnotik
+2348054607525
261ef8a6
@feelmarins
Friday, 6 September 2013
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Teenage stowaway's father speaks, I didn't abandon him
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