Stowaway Teenager's Mother Cries Out -- In-Laws Are After Me ‘Over Government Money’

13-year-old Daniel Oikhena has become popular and luck definitely has smiled on him probably not what he bargained for, all thanks to the attention he has been getting after he was caught hiding in tyre hole of Arik plane on the 24th of August. Governor Adams Oshiomhole who had a interview with the boy & meeting with the boy’s family discovered the boy wasn’t a threat but as a matter of fact intelligent, this prompted him into directing Women Affairs Ministry to take over his training in order to afford  Daniel the opportunity to realize his life’s  ambition.

Daniel’s mother Evelyn had said the son wanted to fly a plane to America as a pilot.

Daniel went back to school on Monday, 16 September after he was examined by doctors and a psychologist and was found to be sound. Seeing the boy now is more difficult than seeing a governor.

This is so because the state government had taken up the responsibility to ensure that he gets good education. Efforts to meet him to find out how he was preparing to go back to school were frustrated by the security around him.

The mother, Evelyn is also not left out , according to her “It is even difficult for me to see him some times because he is undergoing some training and that is being taken care of by the state government. I no longer have powers over him. It was even recently that I was able to see him.

They decided to allow me see him because they were preparing him to go back to school. The only thing I can say now is that the father and his people are bothering my life. They think the state government gave me money and, rather than think about the welfare of the boy, they think it is all about money. They accused me of saying my husband was sick or was even dead but I never said all that and God knows”.

But I thank God for his mercy and that is why it is painful, rather for the father to be grateful to God that the son survived in that aircraft, all they have been accusing me is money from government. I am just saying it because if anything happens to me, they should be held responsible since they want to kill me for something I know nothing about.

Right from day one, I have been running up and down about Daniel’s matter, none of them cared about what I went through with my children. My daughters are supposed to have gone back to school now but due to no money they have not gone back. Their father does not care about that and it is very sad really”.

Meanwhile, Sunday Vanguard saw Daniel on his first day at school on Monday. It was during their break period. Clad in sparkling white shirt and dark green short, the stowaway boy was seen with other students playing. Daniel is in JSS 1 and a boarding student. You can only watch Daniel from afar,  you are not allowed to get close to him.

Other students were surrounding him.  Apart from the plain clothes security operatives that were observed around him, his teachers were always around as if they were instructed to monitor him 24 hours. According to a top official of the school unless there was an instruction from the Edo Government House, no one is allowed to talk to him on the matter.

He said: “You know that he is a government son now; so the instruction is to ensure that he is well monitored both for security reason and his education.  So it is difficult for anyone to speak with him. The idea is to ensure that he forget about what happened at the airport and concentrate in his studies and, so far, the boy is doing well.

We want him to catch up with all he has missed educationally because we understand he was in a private school before but due to no money he was almost becoming a drop out. Before he enrolled here we were told that he told government he prefers this school.

And that is why he was registered here. And if you look at our history, you will know that majority of the great men and women from this state attended this school, so the boy may be in another journey to glory here”.

It is said that Daniel has joined the league of those referred to as Oshiomhole’s children going by the situation around him. These children are about 20, in different schools, and enjoying sponsorship from governor. It was learnt that government officials have instructions to  take  care of the children who  must enjoy the privileges accruing to the children of  governor.