How Childhood Flogging Cost Me My Left Eye — Undergraduate

Twenty-year-old Esther Oriyomi has shared the heartbreaking story of how a childhood injury caused by her father’s belt left her permanently blind in one eye after years of delayed treatment and medical complications.

Esther, a 100-level student of English and Literary Studies at Federal University Oye-Ekiti, said the incident happened when she was six years old during the Christmas period at their family home in Lagos.

According to her, she and other children were playing noisily in the sitting room when her father, who had returned from work and was trying to sleep, became angry and came out to discipline them.

“I was about six years old when it happened. My dad flogged me with a belt, and the iron part hit my left eye. It started bleeding immediately,” she recalled.

The eye injury reportedly caused severe bleeding and swelling, but instead of taking her to an eye specialist immediately, the family initially treated the wound at home with ice packs before later visiting a general doctor.

Esther said she was given eye drops and pain relievers, and after about two months, the pain reduced. However, months later, she began experiencing blurry vision.

The problem became obvious in school when her teachers noticed she struggled to read and write properly.

“My teacher complained to my mum that I was not writing correctly. They had to move me to the front of the class because I could no longer see clearly,” she said.

As the condition worsened, Esther said she frequently tripped, bumped into objects, and struggled with unbalanced vision.

Despite her repeated complaints, she claimed proper medical attention was delayed for years until she developed strabismus — a visible eye misalignment — while in junior secondary school.

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According to her, the first eye clinic she visited allegedly misdiagnosed her condition and prescribed glasses instead of recommending urgent corrective treatment.

“They told us surgery could not happen until I turned 14, so I continued using glasses, but the eye was not improving,” she explained.

Esther later attended Federal Government College, Idoani, where her mother eventually withdrew her temporarily from school to seek further treatment in Lagos after noticing the condition was getting worse.

At another hospital, doctors reportedly discovered that the earlier diagnosis had been wrong and expressed concern that she had not been brought for specialist treatment earlier.

“The doctors kept asking why I didn’t come earlier because the condition had already become very serious,” she said.

Although surgery was later scheduled, Esther disclosed that it never happened for reasons she said were known only to her parents.

Years later, another ophthalmologist reportedly informed the family that the damage to the eye had become too severe and that surgery had only a 50-50 chance of success.

The tragedy worsened after her mother died of cancer in 2023 at the age of 47.

According to Esther, she later began suffering from severe headaches and intense pain in the damaged eye.

“The pain feels like needles stabbing into my eye. Sometimes, I cannot even open the eye because of the pain,” she said.

Further medical examinations reportedly revealed retinal detachment in the affected eye, with doctors warning that surgery might not restore her sight.

She said specialists also warned that there was an 80 per cent chance the condition could spread to the healthy eye if not properly monitored.

“They told me there was no guarantee I would regain sight in the left eye and that surgery might end up being a waste of money,” she added.

Today, Esther said she manages the recurring pain with painkillers while hoping for future medical opportunities abroad.

Despite the trauma and years of emotional pain, the undergraduate said she has chosen to forgive her parents.

“Growing up, I carried a lot of hatred in my heart. But recently, I decided to let everything go. I have forgiven them,” she said.

She also recounted the emotional impact of growing up with visibly misaligned eyes, saying she was frequently mocked by other children.

“People used to ask me, ‘Are you looking at me?’ It affected my confidence a lot,” she recalled.

Using her experience as a lesson, Esther urged parents to take children’s health seriously and seek immediate treatment whenever injuries occur.

She also appealed to parents to reconsider harsh physical punishment as a method of discipline.

“Hitting children is not the only way to discipline them. Parents should learn patience, understanding, and observation,” she advised.

Despite losing sight in one eye, Esther remains determined to achieve her academic dreams.

She said she hopes to become a lecturer after earning her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, adding that she also hopes to teach internationally someday.

The student disclosed that her elder sister currently provides most of the financial support for her education.

How Childhood Flogging Cost Me My Left Eye — Undergraduate

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Presidential Aide Clarifies Viral N10,000 Comment, Says He Meant One Person

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Economic Affairs, Tope Fasua, has clarified his controversial statement suggesting that N10,000 could feed a modest Nigerian family for several days, saying he actually meant a single person and not an entire family.

Fasua made the clarification in a statement posted on his Facebook page on Sunday following widespread backlash triggered by a viral clip from a members-only Coffee Hangout organised by the Kay Hikers Club in Abuja.

The presidential aide explained that his comments were made within the context of rural Nigeria and were immediately clarified during the event.

“My attention has been drawn to the viral 2-second clip of my interaction with Kay’s Hikers Club… wherein I stated that N10,000 is enough to ‘feed a modest family for several days’. There is a need to clarify that I meant to say ‘person’, and not ‘family’, and we were speaking at that point in the context of rural Nigeria,” he wrote.

According to Fasua, his broader message during the session focused on personal financial discipline and the need for Nigerians to remain optimistic despite current economic difficulties.

He said he encouraged participants to view Nigeria positively and avoid condemning the country amid ongoing economic reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration.

The economist disclosed that he accepted the invitation because of his longstanding relationship with the event convener, Kingsley, and because he had previously engaged the same group of mostly young Nigerians about five years ago.

Fasua described the gathering as a “robust engagement” that lasted about two and a half hours and involved intense discussions on the economy, government reforms and opportunities in Nigeria.

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He said many attendees adopted what he described as a “combatant” tone, with some questions becoming personal and highly critical of the government.

Despite this, he maintained that such engagements between government officials and citizens, especially young Nigerians, should be encouraged.

The presidential aide said he used the platform to explain some of the administration’s economic policies, including tax reforms and foreign exchange adjustments.

He also cited indigenous retail brands such as Ebeano Supermarket, Justrite Superstore and Market Square while discussing the challenges facing foreign retail chains in Nigeria.

Fasua further lamented what he described as sensational reporting and selective editing by the media, arguing that short clips taken out of context often distort public understanding of longer discussions.

“We live in a world where people judge by headlines,” he said, adding that interviews are rarely aired in full and clarifications are often ignored because controversial snippets generate more attention online.

The comment sparked heated reactions on social media, with many Nigerians arguing that the cost of living crisis has made it nearly impossible for families to survive on such an amount amid rising food prices and inflation.

The controversy comes at a time when Nigerians continue to grapple with the effects of fuel subsidy removal, exchange rate instability and increasing living costs under the current administration.

Recent economic discussions by Fasua have focused on defending the Tinubu administration’s reforms and arguing that the government’s economic reset is beginning to show signs of progress.

The Tinubu administration has repeatedly defended its economic policies as necessary reforms aimed at stabilising Nigeria’s economy, although critics say the measures have worsened hardship for ordinary citizens.

Presidential Aide Clarifies Viral N10,000 Comment, Says He Meant One Person

Man Arrested For Killing Okada Rider Over Four-Year Grudge

The Osun State Police Command has arrested a 29-year-old man, identified as Adebayo, for the alleged murder of a commercial motorcyclist, Tiamiyu Afeez, in what authorities described as a premeditated attack linked to a grievance dating back four years.

The suspect was apprehended by detectives from the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Osogbo, on Saturday, April 18, about two months after the victim was killed. Police also confirmed the recovery of the deceased’s stolen motorcycle.

According to the Command’s spokesperson, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, the case began after the victim was declared missing by his family on February 23, 2026, after leaving home on February 21 for his commercial motorcycle work and failing to return.

He said the family later received information that an unidentified male corpse had been discovered along the Ojo/Ara-Ejigbo road, with the throat slit. The body was later identified as that of Afeez, prompting a full murder investigation which was transferred to the SCID in Osogbo for further action.

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Police said intelligence-led investigation and technical analysis eventually led to the arrest of the suspect, while the victim’s stolen Bajaj motorcycle and two ignition keys were recovered from him.

According to investigators, Adebayo allegedly lured the victim through phone contact and arranged to meet him in a remote area under the guise of transportation. He was said to have attacked the victim mid-journey, slit his throat with a knife, and fled with the motorcycle.

The suspect reportedly confessed that he disposed of the weapon and the victim’s phone after the attack to avoid detection.

In his account, Adebayo admitted killing the victim but said the act was motivated by a long-standing personal grievance. He claimed that four years earlier, the victim had accused him of wrongdoing and taken him to a police station, where he was detained and later released.

He alleged that during the incident, some of his belongings, including phones and money, were not returned, which he said caused him hardship and resentment over time.

The suspect further explained that he contacted the victim in February and arranged a meeting before leading him to a secluded bush path where he carried out the attack. He said he struck from behind with a knife, leading to a struggle between them.

He added that the victim attempted to escape but was eventually overpowered, after which he fled the scene. He also said he initially used the motorcycle but later abandoned it due to fear of being arrested.

The police confirmed the recovery of the stolen motorcycle and said it would serve as evidence in court proceedings alongside other exhibits gathered during investigation.

DSP Ojelabi stated that the suspect would be charged to court upon completion of investigations, adding that the Command remains committed to ensuring justice in the case.

Security officials also warned against taking the law into one’s hands, stressing that grievances should be addressed through lawful and proper channels rather than acts of violence.

As of the time of filing this report, the suspect remains in custody as investigations continue.

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