Peter was found abandoned in a dustbin, bitten almost to death by soldier ants. Dan was found unconscious due to starvation in a dilapidated building. Elizabeth was found suffocating in a paper bag, rescued by a Good Samaritan, who heard her cry for mercy. An orphan, Blessing was enslaved by a relative, who finally abandoned her to her fate on the streets of Lagos. Toyin, 10 years old, taken by her biological father with a few belongings and abandoned in a forest; almost beaten to death by blood sucking Nigerians because they thought she was a witch.
Those are the words of Rev. George, published in the June–December 1998 edition of Good Report. Good Report is a bi-annual magazine published by Strong Tower Mission under the leadership of its President and Founder – Rev. (Mrs.) Dele George. The first time I read those words, my blood froze. How could people be so heartless? And so it will surprise you to note that while we are in an era where individuals have turned the Nigerian state into a family business (Father, wife, son, daughter, cousin, in-law etc as one political office or the other), an individual took it upon herself to see that abandoned people in our society receive succor. Born on the 12th of December, 1955, Rev. George was the first child to the family of Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia, a two-time Governor of the then Bendel State and also a former Minister of Labour and Productivity. She attended both primary and secondary schools in Benin City, Edo State before proceeding to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Accountancy.
Answering God’s call to help the less privileged members of the society in 1990, Rev. George proceeded to the International Bible Institute in London for Biblical Studies after which she came back to Nigeria. On arrival in Nigeria, she established the Strong Tower Mission (STM) in 1993. STM’s mission is to help the helpless and the hopeless of our generation and bring a recovering hope to the dying. From then, she dedicated the rest of her life to championing the cause of the less privileged in the society, especially abandoned, abused, and orphaned children. And so on June 4, 1994, the Little Saints Orphanage, an arm of Strong Tower Mission and the heartbeat of the mission was opened. The orphanage, with a three-tier programme of rehabilitation, reformation and reintegration for the total welfare of children, has not done badly in the last twelve and half years. Under the rehabilitation programme, the children are housed in a 200-bed hostel equipped with homely infrastructures and facilities. They are cared for by nannies and nurses supported by social workers, missionaries and volunteers. Till date, more than 600 have benefited from the project. Determined to give all the children in the home sound education under the reformation scheme, the children that are of school age are being educated in selected schools surrounding the orphanage. Reintegration is done through their interaction with other children in school and in society. The first orphanage is situated at Akowonjo, in Lagos, with branches in Palmgrove Estate, Abule Egba and Ogudu, though arrangements are on to establish another four around the country. The mission has acquired a new site at Badagry, which they hope to use as their permanent site for the rehabilitation of children, especially those that were abandoned due to their status as being HIV positive. There are also centers in Lagos where the needs of the poor and widows are met on a weekly basis. Packages of food are distributed to the poor while the widows are given money for petty trading and the elderly are placed on weekly allowances. This aspect is handled by STM Business Support Scheme (BSS). Under this scheme, stalls are acquired in local markets and allocated to faithful and industrious recipients. My first contact with the orphanage was as a Youth Corper in year 2000 when we went there as part of our community development service. And I was hooked. Thereafter I have had one thing or the other to do with them. First as an individual and then as a member of a group. In fact, on one occasion my group had its end of year get together at the orphanage. I also know of individuals who spend their birthdays or that of a loved one at the orphanage or even Valentine’s Day. Try it and your life will never remain the same. There are pleasures money can’t buy. Visiting the orphanage is one such pleasure. Such is the infectious nature of the orphanage, for whoever visits them once will never want to stop. Individuals like Segun Odegbami had their lives changed for good since coming in contact with the mission in 1995. Odegbami who was introduced to the mission by Funmi Iyanda confessed that his life “has never been the same.” I remember attending a sports festival organized for the kids in 2005. An experience no amount of money can purchase. Not a woman to rely solely on the contributions of others for her pet project, the bulk of the cost of running the orphanage comes from the businesses she operates with her husband, Capt. Jide George (retired). The couple is involved in construction, entertainment and dredging services in both the private and public sectors of the economy. How has Rev. George been able to sustain her charity works? First, her strong relationship with God. Secondly, the love and support of her husband who can’t stop giving, including providing the first property for the mission. Commenting about her husband, in the book, Even Here, Even Now, authored by the duo of Adeniyi Adekunle and Olakunle Kasumu: “He is a wonderful man. I see him as my angel… If you have a supportive, motivating and dynamic husband you can do great things as a woman. My husband is my hero!” Her motivation came from early childhood. Coming from a polygamous home where the family was obsessed with having a male child, growing up wasn’t much fun. Low self-esteem, insecurity and the feeling of rejection took the center stage. These are the things that she doesn’t want any other child to go through. And having discovered her purpose, she pursued it with all that she has got. Rev. George was quick to observe: “The earlier you discover God’s purpose for your life and start to pursue it the better.” Working in conjunction with the police and ministry of social welfare in the area of adoption and fostering, her effort has made it possible for a greater number of those who have passed under their care to have been adopted, fostered or re-united with their families. According to her, due to the work of the orphanage, adoption of children, which was not too welcomed by Nigerians, has become a regular occurrence as 80% of babies that come in are adopted into well-screened families. Not wanting to rest on her laurels, she still reads a lot to improve herself. The writings of David Oyedepo, Mike Murdock and late Myles Munroe are her favorites. In her words, these resources “have greatly helped me.” Talk about self-improvement. According to her, “Once you have identified your dream, surround yourself with the right resources that can help you.” Rev. Dele George whose role models are Mother Teresa, her husband and her dad is blessed with three children – Kemi, Tayo and Deji. Her contributions to humanity has earned her local and international awards.
Dear reader, I invite you to be a part of what Rev. Dele George is doing in the lives of the abandoned children. You can send your support and be rest assured that some life will be saved even when you are not there. The Bible says in Isaiah 9:7: “To the increase of his government or reign, there shall be no end.” And James 1:27 says: “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble…” What more can I say? Nigeria can be great if you and I contribute in our own little way with whatever God has given to us. Yes, we all dream of changing the world, but that dream can become a reality if we start very small with whatever is in our hand. The era of pointing accusing fingers has gone. Forget about those who are not doing what they are supposed to do and concentrate on what contributions you can make. If it will be done, it’s you and I. It’s my dream to see that Nigeria becomes what God has in His original master plan. I know and I believe that there are lots of goodies in His plan. And do you know what; He has given us the mandate to start where He stopped. He has done His part, it’s left to us to complete our own part of the covenant. Let’s make it happen. God helping us, we will. So, who becomes our second personality here? Who has contributed to the development of our great country? Who is the motivator and role model coming up? Let me leave you guessing. This country will be great and we’ve got all it takes to make it happen. Come along and don’t blink or you miss out. Remember, according to a Guinness advert, “There is a drop of greatness in every man.” Yes, you inclusive.
Shalom!