Hope Lost After Fire, The Fate Of Blind 72-year Old Landlady

The popular saying that life is full of uncertainty holds sway for Muyibat Lamidi, a 72-year old blind woman, who unknown to her would become homeless after years of being a landlady.

Tragedy befell Muyibat in the early hours of Wednesday 11 April, when she lost her house and properties and those of her tenants worth millions of naira to fire that gutted her house situated at 21 Shina Peters Road, Railway line, Fagba area of Lagos State, southwest Nigeria.

Despite efforts by the Lagos State Fire Service and youths in the community to put out the fire, the inferno consumed the building. It was, however, stopped from spreading to nearby buildings.

Mama, as she is fondly called, had since become homeless and  in anguish, due to her loss.

Mama Muyibat is, however,   hopeful that God will touch Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola of Lagos State to help her in her predicament.

She said: “Fashola had warned me not to beg on the road.’’ Yet no good is coming to help me despite the prominent people that sympathised with her.

Among them was  the Ojokoro Local Council Development Area Chairman, Mr. Benjamine Olabinjo, who in a letter signed by the Council Manager, I.R Bello, wrote to express sympathy with the old woman a day after the inferno.

The letter reads: “On behalf of the Executive Chairman, all management and entire staff of Ojokoro LCDA, I wish to express our sympathy with you on the fire incident that occurred on Wednesday, 11 April, 2012, in which all assets as well as the entire building were completely destroyed. We pray that Almighty God will grant you the fortitude to bear the loss. Accept our sympathy.”

She mistook this for  promised assistance as she blamed the Alafiatayo Community Development Association for not pursuing her needs from the LCDA. She denied owing the association any monthly dues, saying that she had paid all her dues up to date.

Corroborating her claim was the coordinator of Iju-Titun Descendants, an association of indigenes of the community, Mr. Ogunrinu Olawale, who said the CDA was not helping the matter.

The treasurer of the CPA, Musibau Atanda, debunked the allegation, saying that there was neither a request from the LCDA to assist her nor any denial to write letter on her behalf. He added that “some element of politics will come to play if assistance must come from the LCDA,” in the matter which, he said, the youths had taken up.

Under this circumstance, only God knows if the blind old woman will not, again,  end up on the  railway line, begging for alms as a means of survival.

—Bayodeji Dedeigbo $ Daniel Ogunjobi