Mother of the late Super Eagles striker, Rashidi Yekini, Alhaja Sikiratu Yekini, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, for assistance, saying she has not gotten any substantial support since her son’s demise four years ago.
The 80-year-old woman said she does not want to die early.
She revealed how poverty turned her into a bread seller in a chat with the Punch.
The Octogenarian said, “I have been managing. It has not been easy at all. Since he died, I have not had substantial support. I have been surviving on the rent I collect from the house Rashidi built for me as well as the proceeds from my petty trade.
“As you can see here, I sell bread, biscuits and some other household cooking materials. I use the rent to do some little repairs on the house and also to find at least a meal a day or more depending on what the day brings.
“Since my son died in 2012, there was nothing else for me to survive on, so I started selling bread. I was not selling bread when Rashidi was alive; I started this business because of hardship.”
Continuing, she said the NFF, has not assisted her or the family since Yekini died.
She said, “They have not done anything. If government or people have been giving Yekini’s lawyer in Ibadan, things to give me, he has not been sending them to me.
“I am not aware that NFF has given any money to the family since my son died,” she said, adding that poverty was one of the reasons she took to selling bread.
Alhaja Sikiratu said, “Poverty is one of the reasons. I want to make money. I may buy bread at N300; when I sell at N350, I make N50 profit, which I use to survive.
“I do not want to stay idle. I am selling bread to make money, so that I won’t die early.”
She, however, called on the government, NFF, corporate organisations, groups and individuals for assistance.
She said, “If they can assist me with money, I will appreciate it.
“I plead with President Muhammadu Buhari, the NFF, state governments and everyone to assist me.
“They should remember that my son made Nigeria proud. They should not abandon me now that he is no more and I am now an old woman. When my son was alive, he was always there for me. If Nigeria helps me, God will bless the country more.
Debunking claims by Yekini’s lawyer, Jibril Olanrewaju, that she collects about N500, 000 from rent yearly, she said, “The lawyer is not being truthful. He is maligning me, and stopping people from assisting me through his statements.
“Since my son died, if people have given money to the lawyer for me, he has not given me. It is only now, due to media publicity, that people started helping me.
“We have five flats in this house. I use one flat, my surviving son, Akeem, and his family use one flat while I rented out the remaining three flats. This is almost a remote area. It is not like Abuja, Lagos or even Ilorin where you can collect substantial amount for rent.
“The tenants were paying N30, 000 per annum but I just increased it to N45, 000 per annum this year; that means that prior to this year, I was collecting only N90, 000 per annum from the three flats,” the bereaved woman added.
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