Chrisland schoolgirl’s death should not be swept under carpet

While Nigerians are grappling with the twin problems of scarcity of naira and fuel crisis and wondering if the much talked about perilous time had come with the hardship this unfortunate situation had brought many Nigerians, the sad news of 12-year-old Whitney Adeniran of Chrisland School, Opebi, Lagos who allegedly died under a very controversial circumstances hit the airwaves.

Whitney was said to have died last week Thursday at Agege Stadium during the school’s Inter-House Sports competition.

Unfortunately, this incident is coming about 10 months after the Lagos State government had to shut down the Lekki branch of this school over a viral sex video involving a teenage girl and five other boys from the school.

The report has it that the girl and the boys were said to have engaged in the misconduct when the school went for the World School Games held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The Lagos State government had after about a week reopened the school to allow the students continue learning while also saying that the investigation was still ongoing and working with other stakeholders to ensure that safety of kids across the private schools in the state was stepped up.

It was therefore not surprising when the latest sad news broke with people beginning to ask why the ivy-league school should again be in the news for the wrong reasons.

Already, the father of the deceased, Michael Adeniran, according to report is said to be suspecting foul play.

Adeniran was said to have claimed that the circumstances and mystery surrounding his daughter’s sudden and unnatural death, call for serious investigation to unravel the cause of her death.

According to him, his 12-year-old daughter, died at Agege Stadium on Thursday, February 9.

The bereaved father was quoted to have said that his daughter had no health issues or sickness as at the time the school bus came to pick her up for the event. He said he could therefore not comprehend how his daughter who left home hale and hearty could slumped and died around 1pm at the venue of the school sporting event.

Adeniran claimed that his wife, the mother of Whitney was at the venue of the school sports but was never informed before the child was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.

He said, “When my wife told me, I rushed down to the health centre; unfortunately, I saw my daughter lying cold dead; her lips and  tongue, have turned  black. Why should her lips and tongue turn black? I can’t just understand.

“When I asked what happened to her, the school authority could not give me useful information as to what happen to my child. I gave Chrisland school a healthy and vibrant young girl, but Chrisland returned to me, a dead child. My entire family is in deep sorrow, but the school authority claimed they knew nothing about my daughter’s death, and all they know was that my daughter slumped and died.”

Adeniran equally alleged that his daughter was conveyed to the health centre with the school bus; not a fully equiped ambulance, no safety corps at the venue, no paramedic except the school nurse, who later confessed to him that Whitney was already dead at the stadium.

The school has however said that there was nothing untoward in the death of the death of the student.

The school in a statement said that Whitney had slumped and was rushed to the nearest health facility where she was pronounced dead.

For parents to lose their child is always a very sad event that will live with such parents for the rest of their life. It is another ball game if such child dies under a very questionable circumstance.

A report even said that Whitney’s mother was told by one of the students that her late daughter actually died of electrocution. The world really deserves to know what actually happened and that is why the appropriate government agencies must step in to unravel the truth behind this sad incident.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo was said to have ordered the closure of the school while also sympathising with the parents and family of the late Whitney with a promise to launch investigation into the unfortunate accident.

The least that could be done to assuage the pains of Whitney’s parents and loved ones is to ensure that whatever is being attempted to be covered is blown open for the sake of justice.

It is also our considered opinion that too many sad tales are coming from the private school in recent times, one of such was the death of Sylvester Oromini, a junior secondary school student from Dowen College allegedly due to act of bullying from other students.

It’s against this background that many Nigerians believe that government at all levels must intensify its monitoring of these schools and ensure that the right thing is done while those found wanting be severely dealt with.

We hope that in the spirit of public good, equity and justice, the relevant authorities won’t allow this unfortunate loss of another promising Nigerian be swept under the carpet.