Taofeek Muraina never had it good as a child. His adulthood
is not even better. This, perhaps, explains why the 40-year-old bricklayer
thought it wise to die rather than being put to shame by friends and neighbors.
Twice this year, he has attempted suicide. The first time,
PUNCH Metro learnt, was about five months ago, while the second one was on
December 5.
On December 5, he had wanted to poison himself when a neighbor arrived on time and raised the alarm.
Muraina has been battling with an acute eye condition since
when he was a child. As he grows, his condition worsens, making life unbearable
for him.
Explaining reasons for attempting suicide, he said, “Life is
unbearable for me. I was born with an eye problem. My wife, Tawa, left me and
dumped our 10-year-old son with me. I learnt that she has got married to
another man.
“I attempted to commit suicide by poisoning myself while my
son and neighbors were not at home but my landlady got home while I was
preparing the mixture.
His landlady, Mrs. Aminat Oseni, who said that Muraina had
been her tenant for five years, explained that it was the second time that he
attempted taking his own life.
Oseni said, “He (Muraina) is a friend to my son, Fatai, who
is a welder. My son appealed to me that we should accommodate him when he came
begging for accommodation.
“According to him, he was sent packing by his former
landlord on the ground that the landlord’s family wanted to make use of the
apartment. But he said the landlord only ejected him because of his eye
problem.”
Muraina, whose left eyeball gorge from the socket, said,
“This is causing acute pain for me. I have been living in pain since I was
born. It became worse during the crisis within the National Union of Road
Transport Workers three years ago at Moniya. I was hit in my eyes by an object
and since then it had been worse.”
His relatives, according to him, came with a promise that
they would help him but they never showed up again.
Muraina’s landlady said, “When they saw him they burst out
crying. They said that they would take him to the hospital but they could not
do so for lack of funds.”
A Mass Communication Student of Ahmadu Bello University,
Zaria, Yusuf Oseni, said Muraina had not been having any medical attention as a
result of poverty, adding, “That is why five months ago he attempted to commit
suicide by hanging.
“Having tried all available means to help himself, he
decided to take his own life. He has no money to treat himself in the hospital.
He is alone with his problem. When he went to the University College Hospital,
he was asked to pay N10m.
Muraina, a resident of Gunwin Akingbile, Moniya, Ibadan, Oyo
State, said the excruciating pains he experienced on a daily basis had made
life difficult for him.
He said, “I am a bricklayer and I mould blocks. People in
the neighborhood always make jest of me. I take native treatment because I
cannot afford the cost of surgery.
“I decided to end it all because I could not afford the cost
of surgery and no one wishes to help me. With my condition, I still manage to
work to feed myself and my son but people hate me.” by punch.
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