Ara
After the elections hiatus, Aralola Olumuyiwa popularly known as Ara has recommenced her Eko Inspire Me by Ara Project from where her vision started 11 years ago – Oshodi.
The team hit the Terminal 3 at Oshodi to organize a sports, music and dance talents competition among the street urchins.
At the end of the table tennis tourney, Lekan Akeju , Diamond Oluwaseun, Azeez Akinade, Fawaz Tijani, Oudus Quazim and Kehinde Wahab emereged winners of the phase. There would be other pahse which would culminate to a grand finale and an overall winner would emerge.
Subsequently, 19-year old Seun Diamond from Delta State who trained a cobbler but became homeless due to circumstances and his quest for a better life won the music (rap) contest.
Talking more about the project, Ara said: “This is exactly where it started across the road 11 years ago where the project was conceived. We had to slow down due to the elections. Now that the election is over, we are back doing what I am called to do and my passion as well. We realised that as we started this work, it is not something that we can solve within the twinkle of an eye because everyday, every hour, these youths troop into Lagos. It is not a Nigerian issue alone, it is a global issue. Homelessness is a global issue and for every social problem, there is an economic solution. What we are trying to so at Eko Inspire Me by Ara is to support government in eradicating or eliminating if possible or reducing at the worst, the number of homeless youths or street urchins or area boys and girls, as we like to call them. It is heartbreaking for me a mother because I see as young as 12 years old among them who came in from outside of the state. It will also shock you to know that approximately 95 per cent of them are not from Lagos. They are from Osun, Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, kwara , Anambra, Imo. And they all came into Lagos for the greener pasture. Mr. Governor, Babajide Sanwo –Olu who we are always thankful to for his support has mentioned that he does not have the capacity as Mr. Governor to stop anybody from coming in but I am hoping that in the nearest future there might be a policy or constitution that can at least address this issue. I am also advocating for parents to take care of their kids, wards. Stop having children you cannot take care of. We need to put a system in place that can curb this. We are doing our best but for me, I would be more fulfilled when at the end of the day I have the Inspire Me Academy with a minimum of a 100 bed space. An academy where we would pick these youths off the street; rehabilitate, re-orientate and reintegrate them.”
