God’s Love Ministries has called on businesses and residents in the Alaba market and its environs to prioritise the care and welfare of the lepers’ community.
The church expressed displeasure that the jettisoned citizens are living within a thriving business city. Coordinator of God’s Care Ministries, Pastor Maria Olatunji, made the call when the church in collaboration with The Fount of Love Foundation, led a team of doctors for a medical outreach to the Lepers’ community in Ojo, Lagos.
The medical intervention was the first of its kind recorded at the community of sick and malnourished citizens living in abject poverty, despite their close proximity to Africa’s largest electronics market, Alaba International Market.
Olatunji said the gesture was a demonstration of God’s love, even as she charged the neighbouring community, business tycoons and local government to respond to the cries of the lepers.
“This is an avenue to help people who have nothing to give in return. When I heard about this lepers’ community, I was overwhelmed with concern even though I wasn’t in the country at the time. I made up my mind to visit this community at my next opportunity to be in Nigeria.
“I learnt that one of their basic needs is medical attention. Some of them don’t have slippers, among other basic things of life. Although we don’t have someone sponsoring our foundation, I took it up as a personal responsibility to get doctors to provide free medical care for them.
“Alaba is an international market, and it is saddening that there is a neighbouring community of lepers, and they do nothing to care for them. When the bible talks about being your brother’s keeper, this is an area the business moguls in the market could reach out with little drops of their wealth,” she explained.
According to her, the Alaba business environment and residents are incubating huge health and environmental threats by ignoring the lepers’ community.
“Everyone has a right to live a basic life, but these people are living way below the poverty line. This isn’t life. I’m also calling on the local government and state government to do something to alleviate the sufferings of this community,” Olatunji added. Also, the founder of The Fount of Love Foundation, Mrs. Shola Onyekweli said the foundation has been visiting the lepers’ community for a decade.