How food poisoning caused chaos in Ibadan

Posted by admin Oyo, State News Tuesday, February 15th, 2011

Until one asked what made hundreds of women, who held their chests in fear, running almost naked to various public primary schools in Ibadan, capital of Oyo State, demanding the release of their children and wards by teachers, one would have thought the city had been run over by some heavily armed warriors.

The situation looked so chaotic that other passers-by, who did not even know what happened, were also running to the same direction.

Authorities in many primary schools had a very challenging moment that needed wisdom to tackle. They were all surprised why the parents who had earlier entrusted the care and security of their children in their hands could suddenly turn around expressing pessimism about the safety of such children.

Further investigation revealed that there was a film entitled”Asiri Nla”(Top secret) being sold, where somebody claimed a former president and a governor in the South-West in pursuit of political victory in April 2011 were asked to provide 200 people for sacrifice.

This film was the one that actually fuelled the fear of many parents thinking that the ritualists were at work to get those people for the politicians.

The innocent teachers never took it to be anything serious until the news spread round the city that some people from Oyo State Government were distributing cooked food like noodles, bean cakes and rice to unsuspecting school children,

Some even claimed that two pupils who fell victims had fainted at the Wesley Practising School and had been rushed to a nearby hospital.

The rumour sent jitters down the spines of many parents who trooped out with much venom and velocity to prevent their children from eating the said poisonous food.

At Islamic Mission School, Odoyi, Yemetu, Salvation Army Primary School, and Wesley College Practising School. Elekuro, Ibadan, CAC, Garden of Eden, Oremeji and many other schools, the parents were ready to fight teachers who told them that it was not yet closing time when their children would release them. The presence of heavily armed policemen did not make any meaning to them. To them, gun and other weapons are meaningless where life of their kids are at stake.

It was so serious that the teachers had to call the attention of police to protect them from some angry parents who were pelting them with stones when they did not release their children.

At Islamic Mission, Vanguard saw a man who claimed he was looking for his daughter, Omolara Ajayi who, he claimed he neither saw at home or at school.

He said, “there would be trouble here if you don’t produce my daughter. I have gone home, she was not there. And she is not in school. That is why you are preventing me from going inside and just catch a glimpse of her. I don’t even want to send her to school again. If she does not go to school, she could learn any craft”.

He turned deaf ears to other parents saying nothing would happen to his daughter. He did not keep mum until a teacher asked him the class the girl was in. He went angrily searching for his girl after knowing that the premises houses four different schools and his daughter could be in the other three schools.

Another woman at Wesley School was heard raining curses on the government adding that God would not allow it to achieve its aim of sacrificing her children for a selfish political victory.

An Assistant Head teacher at Elekuro, Mr. Omikunle Ademola, said it was a mere rumour and that nothing happened to any of their pupils as being alleged.

One of the parents, Mrs. Aminat Amidu said they heard that some politicians were distributing poisonous cooked rice to our children and we came to withdraw them. But, when we came here, we saw our children and nothing happened to them.

The poison scare was so serious that Governor Alao_Akala quickly put machinery in motion to disabuse the minds of the people that it was the handiwork of his perceived political enemies.

He said through his Special Adviser on Communication, Dotun Oyelade that “It has been brought to our notice that some miscreants and misguided characters are peddling rumour around the city of Ibadan that some people are to be sacrificed for fetish reasons”.

“Government is shocked that people can go to any length to blackmail and cause confusion in order to gain political advantage.

Our people just want to fend for their daily bread without such deliberate harassment. Such lies are wicked because Oyo State is peaceful and our poor parents and their wards and children are being unnecessarily traumatized by those few who have volunteered to work for reckless and desperate politicians. We strongly advise our people to go about their normal duties and discountenance these latest antics by political desperados and their hirelings”, he explained.

Knowing the enormity of the problem the rumour could do to its campaign, the Director_General, Akala/Arapaja Campaign Organisation, Mr. Demola Ojo, also organized a press briefing where he said it was the handiwork of opponents saying they had gone to the extreme.“It is the handiwork of politicians who have failed in their bids for political relevance”, he said.

Genesis of the rumour
A source called Vanguard on phone that the incident happened at Wesley College, Elekuro, Ibadan. But, on getting there, the teachers dismissed the rumour with a wave of hands saying it was not true.

When speaking on the issue of food poison scare, Mrs. Olajumoke Stella, Headteacher of the school said, “we opened school at 8am today, only to see many parents rushing to our school; saying they wanted to withdraw their children. We insisted that no child would be allowed to be taken away because we have marked in the register that they are in school. I then instructed the gateman to shut the gate.

Look at it now, there is nothing happening to the children, they are busy doing their work”.
Other schools where they said the incident happened were traced only to find no clue or any take_away plastic with which the food was served.

Further investigation revealed that there was a film entitled”Asiri Nla”(Top secret) being sold now, where somebody claimed a former president and a governor in the South West in pursuit of political victory in April 2011 were asked to provide 200 people for sacrifice.

This film was the one that actually fuelled the fear of many parents thinking that the ritualists were at work to get those people for the politicians.

Effects of the food poison on school attendance
The school attendance was so poor the following day that some teachers only went to schools without teaching.
And to worsen the matter, about 25 students of one of the secondary schools at Ogbere area of Ibadan were said to have been arrested while protesting the rumour of the poisoned food.

They were reportedly detained at Ogbere Onilanta Police Station and this led to the protest of the parents of the detained students to the palace of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Samuel Odulana.

The names of the alleged detained students were given as Asiata Muritala, Rilwan Mojeed, Taiye Ayodeji and Akin Ojo.
While speaking to newsmen on the rumour, the state Commissioner for Education, Prof. Nureni Adeniran, confirmed there was poor attendance in schools.

He said the rumour of food poison must have been responsible for the low turn_out of students in schools.
Places where there was low turn_out of pupils were Yemetu, Orita_Aperin, Mokola, Eleyele, Sango, Elekuro, and many other places in Ibadan metropolis.

Political undertone
Just as it has been said, the rumour may have emanated from the political opponents of Governor Akala who would not stop at anything, no matter how injurious to others, to create obstruction on his re_election.

One begins to wonder if any politician could be so heartless to the extent of using innocent school pupils for ritual purposes all because he wants to get political power.

As trivial as the rumour looks, it has some damaging effects on the education sector in the state as well as the political future of the state.

Many people say if the rumour had emanated from opponents of the governor, they have taken it too far as this could truncate the future of many younger ones. In fact, the government needs a serious public enlightenment to allay the fears of people in the state.

Until recently, many people in the state who are predominantly illiterate never wanted to send their children to schools, they preferred driving, meat hawking and other petty trades to schooling because they claimed it would bring quick money.

For this rumour to have been peddled at this period, it should be a serious concern to reasonable people that if politicians could descend so low to this level, they would not stop at anything to get victory at the April poll.

For a true and genuine leader who really wants to serve his people, campaign of calumny is not the only way they can get political power. All political stakeholders, security agents must not rest on their oars thinking all is well. Unless, something is done, to reduce the political tension already created in the state, we pray that another ‘wetie experience’(political crises of 1966) would not repeat itself in Ibadan.

NUT’s appeal
Meantime following withdrawal of their wards from schools last Thursday and low turn out on Friday occasioned by alleged poisoned food being served to pupils, members of the Oyo State wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers have pleaded with parents in the state to allow their children to turn_up in schools today.

The teachers, in a statement by its Assistant State Secretary, Mr. L. A. Oyediran, yesterday said, the union felt concerned and disturbed by the ugly incident.

The union implored teachers to remain calm having the assurances of the union leadership that their interest shall be protected.

The teacher’s union further said its leaders were embarrassed by the problem the rumour caused the teachers.

Vendors protest ban
AS a result of last week ban on Food Vendors in Oyo State public primary and secondary schools by the state government, the women yesterday stormed the State Governement Secretariat to protest the action.

The ban was announced by the Commissioner for Education in the state, Prof. Nureni Adeniran following alleged rumour that some government officials were distributing fetish food to school pupils in order to win the April poll.

The rumour caused panic in Ibadan metropolis with women running to public schools withrawing their wards. But, the state government has debunked the rumour saying it was the handiwork of its political opponents.

Dressed in blue and white apron and armed spoons, they appealed to the state government to review the order as it had taken its toll ont heir business.

Stressing that their job was the only means they feed their families, they described the ban as painful and that it was capable of rendering them financially handicapped.

A woman said, ‘’ there is no way we should be made to suffer for an offence we did not commit. This is the only thing we do to earn our living, if the government stops us from doing our job, how do we cope with our financial responsibilities or is government going to be paying us salaries like government workers?

She added that with the ban, their daily contribution for today(yesterday) had been denied describing it as unfair.

Meanwhile, there was slight improvement in the turn_out of pupils in schools yesterday. Though, many of the pupils were yet to return to schools, the situation improved when compared with last Friday attendance.

The turn out yesterday may have been informed by the call from teachers who appealed to parents to release their wards.wp_posts

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Posted by admin on Feb 15 2011. Filed under Oyo, State News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry