Chrisland Schools and the need for restraint, By Uju Nwoye

Because this is still a painful event that traumatizes me as a parent, I feel that the emotions are rising, showing how much people are disappointed by the death of the deceased, we should all be more careful when blaming, which can lead to what could be misplaced public lynching of Chrisland Schools. I am more than convinced that the true cause of death should be sought in a rigorous scientific and medical manner, which would then reduce all the speculation and innuendo surrounding the incident.

First, let’s start this comment by stating clearly that losing a child is one of the worst things – if not the worst thing – that can happen to a parent. There is nothing to be trifled with, for this is an unimaginable sorrow. When that happens, in the intervening period, emotions tend to run high, which is understandable.

As a parent, I would never wish such an unpleasant situation on anyone. But now that it has happened, one can only ask for calm, for clarity to reign, so that the issues involved can be critically examined with the level of clarity required to assess the role of all parties involved in the process. bad things happen. This will go a long way in preventing the possibility of this happening again, or reducing its occurrence.

Some have pointed out that the unfortunate death is always around us, but the capacity for news will be exacerbated in a way that can cause social harm and deepen pain, when the lessons involved are lost in the process, what is this new information. age or the age of social media has done for us as people.

What this means is that when the bereaved and mourners are not allowed peace to grieve in peace, hysterical officers consider the problem on social media at the time adding to the fire that burns the problem that needs to be considered. with all the sobriety involved. Social media ‘punditry’ itself is a source of concern these days, from the factual that can add more drama than is necessary, to the ignorant, then overly emotional. This all worries me when we are dealing with incidents including loss of life.

Like most people, I came across 12-year-old Whitney Adeniran, a student at Chrisland International School, Opebi, on social media. He reportedly collapsed and later died during a sports event held by his school at the Agege Stadium on Thursday the 9th.^Th from February. Finding the heartache of her father’s cries on social media has been one of the most difficult experiences I’ve had in the last few months.

While the parents of the deceased, Whitney Adeniran, claimed that Chrisland Schools have not provided first aid or response to deal with emergencies that may occur during these physical activities, but the School said that it really did the best in the situation that found itself there last. He said he rushed to seek medical intervention at the nearest facility – the government medical center in Agege, where Whitney collapsed immediately.

My first thought about the complaint was to find out if there was any level of first aid to the young woman who immediately collapsed. As I usually do at this age, information about any event can be many, and competing, I try to find a balance by looking for all the information I need from all relevant sources and stakeholders, along with some other objectives.

While the parents of the deceased, Whitney Adeniran, claimed that Chrisland Schools have not provided first aid or response to deal with emergencies that may occur during these physical activities, but the School said that it really did the best in the situation that found itself there last. He said he rushed to seek medical intervention at the nearest facility – the government medical center in Agege, where Whitney collapsed immediately. And what happened was really unfortunate, despite one’s best efforts.

In addition, the affected student also had a medical challenge last week, which made the school pay attention to his parents, who later came to pick him up from school for medical treatment.

In the back-and-forth that occurs in times of difficulty like this, what gets lost in translation at times is the right situation. However, what cannot be disputed is the fact that at the stadium, Whitney had an episode that caused him to collapse, and he was rushed to the nearest medical facility. Whether treatment is available at that time is another matter, but in times of emergency, those in danger usually get the treatment that is available. If then it is not enough to implement the role of first responders effectively, it points to the larger problem of state failure that we are facing. The country is failing us every day, and this seems to be another manifestation.

Still, could Whitney have a life-threatening medical condition, as the Chrisland School claims? A challenge just waiting for a trigger, like physical activity, to manifest? I read accounts that said Whitney had slumped, leaning against the stadium fence. As mentioned above, the Chrisland School also stated that Whitney is as sick as she was 20 years ago.^Th January, with his father contacted to take him for medical treatment. Some even say that since he is a day student, and not in boarding, Chrisland School may not have a full picture of his medical history and problems, which require closer monitoring.

I hesitate to lay blame because it’s inconceivable that there was deliberate negligence on the part of parents or even Chrisland School, considering everything they’ve done in the past and the culture of deliberate caution I’ve heard about. already cultivated. This may just be a freak occurrence that defies the best of intentions.

Or what happens to them can happen spontaneously, as there are many examples. Slumping and dying has become a terrible phenomenon all over the world. I can easily recall some examples, from the former Nigerian international footballer, Sam Okwaraji, who died of congestive heart failure on the field playing on 12^Th August, 1989, for Deji Tinubu, 52, who collapsed during a match on 26^Th from January, 2018. Is it Giuseppe Sinopoli, who died of a heart attack while performing Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in 2001? Also, closer to this time, there was Hadi Ado Bala, 20 years old, who slumped and died during his team’s match against Sporting Cabanillas in Nuevo Campo on Sunday, the 5th.^Th from February.

While one can quickly want to blame Chrisland Schools for this incident, with another strain of the narrative admitting that the school has tried to suppress information about the incident, and also forced Whitney’s father to allow for an autopsy to confirm the true cause of death. , I was surprised to read from the State Police, Ben Hundeyin, that Chrisland School had actually reported the sad incident to the Police and the relevant authorities when it happened. And the School has proposed the need for an autopsy to clear the air about what may have caused the death. One then wonders why, as some have noted, Whitney’s father quickly bought a coffin and wanted to bury his daughter without an autopsy, before another level of intervention persuaded others.

Because this is still a painful event that traumatizes me as a parent, I feel that the emotions are rising, showing how much people are disappointed by the death of the deceased, we should all be more careful when blaming, which can lead to what could be misplaced public lynching of Chrisland Schools. I am more than convinced that the true cause of death should be sought in a rigorous scientific and medical manner, which would then reduce all the speculation and innuendo surrounding the incident. Then we can go to the stage of erecting control – both at home and school – to prevent this from happening, going into the future, if this is not just another natural phenomenon that is beyond our control.

I hesitate to lay blame because it’s inconceivable that there was deliberate negligence on the part of parents or even Chrisland School, considering everything they’ve done in the past and the culture of deliberate caution I’ve heard about. already cultivated. This may just be a freak occurrence that defies the best of intentions.

Now that the Lagos State government has closed the Chrisland School in Opebi, Lagos down, because it is trying to get to the bottom of this very sad incident, my heart goes out, first of all, to the Adeniran family, and I pray that the Almighty will help you in this very difficult time . Then, I sympathize with all the other students whose education has been stopped because of the government’s intervention in this matter, and others – teachers, non-academic workers, etc. – who depend on Chrislands for their livelihood. I hope we all get a gift to be able to survive in this darkness.

Uju Nwoye, a child psychologist, writes from Abuja.