For Shola Olusola Warah, 21, a student of Federal College of
Technology,Akure,these are not the best of times. The absence of a fatherly
care over the years,didn’t really mean much to him until recently when he was
offered admission to College of Technology Akure, in Ondo state and he started
mingling with friends and other course mates.
Shola Olusola Warah, a native of Ilorin in Ilorin West local
government area of kwara state, in company of his mother Sarah and other members
of the family was looking psychologically distraught when they visited Saturday
Vanguard office in ilorin last week to narrate their dilemma.
But Honourable Sulyman Warah, immediate past member of Kwara
state house of assembly ,now married to another woman with four girls still
denied that Sola is his biological son even though he admitted that he dated
his mother several years ago.
The pressure being mounted on him at critical moment of his
political life, according to him, prompted him to accept to do a DNA test so as
to put the case behind him once and for all. Confusion followed when the result
did not confirm him as Shola’s father. Hon Sulyman Warah also said he was ready
to follow them to carry out another DNA test elsewhere.
Shola suspected a strong foul play that his father had used
his political influence against them and therefore brought a petition over DNA test carried out
by one diagnostic centre in Ilorin which
stated that Warah was not his father. During clarification with Saturday
Vanguard, with nostalgia, Sola said he could have possibly poisoned himself
among other nasty things he thought about if not for the strong faith he had in
God which has been keeping him going in life.
According to him, ”Many times when I’m among my friends in
school, and they begin to tell stories of what their fathers did for them I
always feel terrible that I don’t have such stories to tell,” he said, his eyes
heavy with tears. “Many times I’m frustrated but my faith in God and the
knowledge about life have kept me alive
because I have a very strong hope that I will make it in life”, he says.
“At 21, I don’t want anything from him, just for him to
accept me as his son. I know that my God that had kept me till now will see me
to the top. I want to know my biological father so that I can be
psychologically balanced for life. I won’t be an outcast whenever I’m in the
midst of people discussing their fathers. For all I know, I did not drop from
heaven, I have never heard or read anything like that across the globe.
Somebody must have been responsible for the pregnancy that led to my birth.”
On how he knew that, Honourable Warah is his father, he
quipped, ”Its only a woman that can tell the real father of a child, so when my
mother told me about the whole scenario, I believed her” The mother now in
tears being consoled by relations who accompanied them recalled her love life
with the former member of kwara state House of Assembly some twenty nine years
ago which later culminated into the birth of Sola.
Ishola’s mother, Afusat is a businesswoman in Ilorin who has
also married another man with children.
Madam Afusat told Saturday Vanguard that she had a love relationship
with Honourable Sulyman Warah, when she was in Ilorin Grammar School, (IGS),
Ilorin, while Alhaji Warah was in a university some 29 years ago.
She said that Warah’s people and friends knew about their
relationship and her pregnancy, adding that later Warah denied responsibility
till date, “because of the fear that his parents could stop financing his
education”. Recently, when the agitation from the young man became unbearable
to the mother, Afusat said she met with Warah on the need to have a DNA test
conducted to finally resolve the age-long and lingering argument.
Thus, they collectively agreed to approach the Diagnostic
Centre in Ilorin, where sample was collected and test conducted to decide the
matter once and for all. Interestingly,
the result allegedly showed that Warah is not the biological father. However,
Shola, his mother and the people from his side smelt a rat and suspected foul
play in the manner the test was conducted.
Therefore, the boy, Shola and his people have petitioned the
diagnostic centre, and copied the medical and dental council of Nigeria, Abuja,
Correspondents Chapel of the NUJ in the state and Legal Aid Council, Kwara
state chapter on the alleged unethical practice/breach of agreement of the
Centre and its staff.
The petition reads as follow: This is to bring to the
knowledge of the management and the public a case of unethical practice /
breach of agreement by the (name withheld) centre, Ilorin.
On September 3, 2015, myself, my mother and two other
witnesses from my end, as a party, my alleged father, Engr. SHEU Sulyman Warah
who denied my paternity for 23 years, his new wife and one Mr. Idris as another
party were present at the diagnostic centre for DNA test to determine my
paternity that has been in dispute.
The sample of our saliva were taken (myself and Engr.
Sulyman Warah) and the doctor on duty immediately sent for a courier service
rider to dispatch the specimen to Lagos for a laboratory test and he informed
that the result shall be opened in the presence of all the witnesses in a few
days time. We all departed in good faith.
“I was called to show up at the centre and all the parties
involved, we showed up and my grandfather, Alhaji Ajamajebi who was not
initially present showed up but one of my witnesses could not be present. In
line with our earlier agreement, I thought the result would be brought in
sealed envelope but the doctor merely read from his laptop a mail sent to his
e-mail box.
“This negates our earlier agreement, there is a foul play,
we left our e-mail behind on the first day, no messages was sent to me. “Thus,
I am not convinced that the samples were sent anywhere. “The result was printed
on the letterhead paper of the diagnostic centre in our presence. “We politely
protested but the doctor on duty simply told us he had a right to do whatever
he liked.
“There is a compromise between the doctor and my alleged
father. This is fraudulent and unethical of a supposed reputable diagnostic
centre. “I therefore want to implore the management of the centre to :
Investigate this matter with a view to redeeming the image of the organization.
The doctor on duty should be questioned because something is
definitely wrong. There is a compromise along the line. I hereby demand that
another test be done on a neutral ground”, the petition read.
But, in his own explanation, Honourable (Engr) Sulyman Warah
said he is not the biological father of the young man, adding that he would
make himself available at any time for the DNA test at any other place they
choose.
His words: “Let me first commend you for your sense of
professionalism. Having heard from the other party, you thought it wise to hear
from me as well. To put the record straight, fine I knew this girl some 24
years ago or there about. I was in the university then. Shortly after, I didn’t
hear anything from her until about two years later. I was even away. I was not
in Ilorin then. She took a kid to my family house.
A two-year old kid. And of course, my parents protested,
saying how could they accept that when their son was not even around. Anytime
he’s in town they would look for her and that two of us would see eye to eye to
straighten things between two of us. And we never saw her again until years
later.
“When she came around again, I said it’s ok, let’s go for a
test. And that was all. When I was preparing to contest for an election then in
2007, she came briefly. I was not around. She was asked where she had been all
along since we’ve agreed to run a test. So, that was it until, I think, early
this year. That was the first time I was seeing the son in question.
“We now agreed, thank God we now have a reputable diagnostic
centre where we can have that test done. Appointment was fixed, we went there.
I paid the fee of N75, 000 for the test. Sincerely speaking, the first time I
entered that place was the first time I met the guy that conducted the test.
And the second time I was meeting him was when we went for the result.
“We went there and the man asked us salient questions; are
we conducting the test for peace of mind or judicial purposes? And the two
parties agreed that it was just to clear our conscience. I didn’t know there
were different types of tests for different purposes. The test was done and
some few days later, I was called by the man that the result was ready. The
other party was called too. We attended.
“And the guy opened his e-mail, having made us to realise
that they have a partner in the US and that they don’t run the test in their
own lab there. He said the specimen would be taken and through courier to their
partner in the US. Which was what the guy did. He said that the result would be
sent to his e-mail.
“ In our presence, he opened his e-mail and read the result
out to us all. I have a copy here. I am not a medical doctor. The result said
that the alleged father is not the biological father of the tested child. The
conclusion is based on the non-matching of the specimen etc.
“When the aunt of the mother of the boy said she suspected
foul play, sincerely speaking, what I said was that, if you are not comfortable
with this result, I am available. Let’s go somewhere else and re-do it. If the
son is mime, I will accept him. But I can’t take whats not mine. Since then,
you have not come back to me to say we should do it somewhere else.
“The next thing I was seeing was social media attack as if
there’s something sinister or they were being sent by some political opponents.
I have started to think of probably there are some other matters behind all
this. Because, if not having given you my words, why all this? They were just
cooking up story for people to attract pity. If they want to go anywhere else,
I am ready.
Vanguard
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