An eighty-five-year-old grandmother, Mrs. Bolaji Isaac, has cried out that she has nothing to live for and preferred death because all her five children rejected her and efforts to see them had been abortive.
Bolaji says anytime she dies, she will be going to the grave with sorrow and bitterness.
The Ikare, Ondo State indigene, said an apartment rented for her by a Pentecostal church in Lagos, Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, had been forcefully taken by her second son, identified as Sola, who chased her out.
The octogenarian told Punch Metro that she was in dire need of another accommodation, appealing to Nigerians to prevail on her children to meet with her before her death.
She said, “I had 10 children. While five of them died, five survived. My husband died about 20 years ago and I started selling paper bags to hospitals and clinics. When I didn’t have money to continue the work, I stopped.
“I was formerly living in the Alagbado area of Lagos State, but my son, Sola, chased me out. He came from Ondo State to live with me.
She added that anytime she called her fourth child, Samuel, a lawyer, he always gave excuses of being in court, promising to call back, without doing so.
Bolaji, who explained that Samuel prevented her from knowing his address, said other children also gave excuses instead of catering to her.
When Punch asked about her siblings, she lamented that they had equally forsaken her.
“When I had money, my mother advised me to take care of them that they would help my children in the future. I sponsored their education, but now, they don’t care about me. I don’t know what I did to deserve the treatment. I want to die. This suffering is unbearable,” she added, as she burst into tears.
Bolaji survived on a weekly N2,000 stipend she received from the MFM every Monday.
However, Samuel, on the telephone, said his mother was troublesome, adding that he kept her away from his family to avoid having issues with his marriage.
He said, “She was formerly living with my elder brother, Tope. She was always quarrelling with his wife to the extent that they would engage in fisticuffs. And it was regular. I witnessed the fights while I was in the university and that was why I decided never to allow any family member live with me.
“She cannot live with any of her sons without having issues with their wives, so we are trying to make enquiries about old people’s home for her because that is the next step. Just last week, we all contributed N25,000 to give her; so I wonder where the issue of neglect is coming from.”
Bolaji says anytime she dies, she will be going to the grave with sorrow and bitterness.
The Ikare, Ondo State indigene, said an apartment rented for her by a Pentecostal church in Lagos, Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, had been forcefully taken by her second son, identified as Sola, who chased her out.
The octogenarian told Punch Metro that she was in dire need of another accommodation, appealing to Nigerians to prevail on her children to meet with her before her death.
She said, “I had 10 children. While five of them died, five survived. My husband died about 20 years ago and I started selling paper bags to hospitals and clinics. When I didn’t have money to continue the work, I stopped.
“I was formerly living in the Alagbado area of Lagos State, but my son, Sola, chased me out. He came from Ondo State to live with me.
She added that anytime she called her fourth child, Samuel, a lawyer, he always gave excuses of being in court, promising to call back, without doing so.
Bolaji, who explained that Samuel prevented her from knowing his address, said other children also gave excuses instead of catering to her.
When Punch asked about her siblings, she lamented that they had equally forsaken her.
“When I had money, my mother advised me to take care of them that they would help my children in the future. I sponsored their education, but now, they don’t care about me. I don’t know what I did to deserve the treatment. I want to die. This suffering is unbearable,” she added, as she burst into tears.
Bolaji survived on a weekly N2,000 stipend she received from the MFM every Monday.
However, Samuel, on the telephone, said his mother was troublesome, adding that he kept her away from his family to avoid having issues with his marriage.
He said, “She was formerly living with my elder brother, Tope. She was always quarrelling with his wife to the extent that they would engage in fisticuffs. And it was regular. I witnessed the fights while I was in the university and that was why I decided never to allow any family member live with me.
“She cannot live with any of her sons without having issues with their wives, so we are trying to make enquiries about old people’s home for her because that is the next step. Just last week, we all contributed N25,000 to give her; so I wonder where the issue of neglect is coming from.”
