The management of Chrisland schools has given its account of the incident that led to the death of one of its students, Whitney Adeniran.
Recall 12-year-old Whitney died during the school’s inter-house sports competition at Agege Stadium in Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria on Thursday.
According to the father of the deceased, Dr. Michael Adeyemi Adeniran, she had no health condition or sickness as of the time the school bus picked her up for the event.
Adeniran added no explanation was given to him and his wife by the school regarding their daughter’s death.
He said his wife was present at the stadium, but the school did not call her attention to the incident immediately
Adeniran subsequently called on the Lagos State Government and the police to look into the matter and ensure that justice is done.
He asked why the school had no ambulance or paramedics at the event, except for a “quack” nurse whom he said confessed that the child died at the stadium.
Reacting, the management and staff of the Lagos-based school said they feel the deep pain of Whitney’s death, adding that their thoughts and prayers were with the family
The statement read, “The management and staff of Chrisland Schools Limited, with a deep sense of loss, announce the death of our precious student, Whitney Adeniran; whose painful exit occurred on Thursday, February 9th, 2023.
“We are heartbroken and distressed. Whitney was one of our Day students who opted not to participate in the inter-house sports match past for reasons we were not very sure of.
“However, on discretion, we respected her decision to err on the side of caution, because on the January 20, 2023, it is in our records that she had complained about a not-too-buoyant health and we immediately contacted her parents.”
The school management said Whitney’s father, “Mr. Michael Adeniran, came to the school to take her home. We emphasised to her parents to take a critical look at her.”
Also according to the school, Whitney slumped in public view and not under “hidden circumstances”.
The statement added, “Our immediate response was to take advantage of proximity to first-aid, by identifying the nearest medical facility to take her to, where the doctor on duty, administered oxygen and every aid possible on her.
“We immediately notified regulatory stakeholders and agencies to allow for a comprehensive evaluation and assessment of the developments.
“In spite of the compelling imperatives to fill any information gaps in public space, we stopped short of making any media sensation out of this, because the deceased in question, was a minor and is deserving of our unqualified respect.
“We also prioritised according respect to the privacy of the family and were with them consistently, to mourn together. This is a painful loss for all of us.”
However, the mother of the deceased girl, in a video posted earlier, lamented that Whitney “was not taken to a hospital, she was taken to an immunisation centre”.
“But that is not even my pain, my pain is that there was no proper first aid management, there was no proper management, there was nothing that was done for her; she was brought to the hospital dead,” she said.
