NIGERIAN WOMAN DIES IN UGANDA, IGNITES FIRE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

By Joke Kujenya

It was not clear when the sultry middle aged woman left Nigeria for Uganda. But whenever she left, and whatever her mission to the East African country was, death was certainly not in the agenda. She could never have imagined that the trip would be her last journey on this terrestrial plane.

Sadly, the woman died. She went the way of all flesh, on Friday, December 7, 2018, in Kampala, Uganda; far away from her kith and kin. And her relatives had no clue what tragedy had struck them. Until the morning of Monday, January 14, 2019, when the data page of her e-passport, accompanied by a short note that broke the news of her demise, went viral on social media.

The message broke the tragic news and frantically sought to link up with the family of Mrs. Olayinka Fatukasi Oladeru, 46. The author of the message pleaded with people to share in their groups until the information got to her family in Nigeria.

The short message reads:

“Mrs. Olayinka Fatukasi Oladeru, whose passport data page is provided below died in Uganda on 7^th December 2018 at St. Francis Hospital Nsamya, Kampala, Uganda, after a brief illness. We are trying to locate her family members in Nigeria. Kindly circulate the passport data page amongst your groups to help locate her family members. Thanks & regards”.

There was no signature affixed to the brief note. Neither were the details of her brief illness disclosed.

Social Media Impact

The Crest picked up the gantlet, and not only passed on the message to other groups and platforms but also ran a check of her name on Facebook around 9.00a.m., Monday. At least six shares of the same message was found on her name. There were also eight shares via WhatsApp.

In fact, a blog, named takealookmagazine, also did a cover on her with the same scanty information, setting the data page on a colourful background. But the deceased herself did not have any personal media presence.

 Proxy contact with a relative

 The Crest also contacted the Nigeria Immigration Service to gleen more information about the woman, especially her next of kin, and other contacts here at home. While the rigorous search continued, a trusted media contact who knew a friend to the family shared a message in another WhatsApp group which reads: “The family of the said Olayinka has been communicated with and necessary steps are already being taken according to a reliable source.”

This reporter promptly called the media person on phone to provide more details. He told our reporter that a distant family member, who is also an Oladeru, is his own close friend. On seeing the messages on social media, he called the eldest member of Oladeru Family and gently narrated the ordeal to him. Then, he called other relatives and informed them of the news that just got to him.

The media person informed The Crest that the deceased was a member of the Oladeru Clan in Ire Ekiti, an agrarian town in Ekiti State, and that none of the family members is based in Lagos. He further informed that the late Mrs. Olayinka Oladeru was a member of the Winners Chapel Church, though he could not ascertain her province. However, all her family members are reportedly based in Ire., and the town has been thrown into deep mourning and wailing by the shocking demise of their illustrious daughter.

“Expectedly, after the tears,” our contact person noted, “the family is already making preparations to travel to Uganda so they can bring her body home. You also have to imagine all the necessary travel documents and financial implications the situation would demand. However, the family member assured that they have selected and agreed on the number of representatives that would back go and bring her home so she could be given a befitting burial.”

Before he left The Crest, our contact added a caveat:  “Please, I am not speaking for the family. I just told you what my close friend of many years, an Oladeru, told me.”

The late Mrs. Olayinka Fatukasi Oladeru, according to the data page of her international passport, was born in Akure, Ondo State, on 22 December, 1972. Her e-passport number A08400119, issued on 12 July, 2017, would expire on 11 July 2022.

On the return of the family to Nigeria, details of the cause of her death, as well as time of her eventual burial, are expected to be communicated to members of the Nigerian society that helped to publicise her passing away.

The speedy location of the family via the endless threads of posts on social media underscores what can be achieved when a people work together as a collective.

In the time being, The Crest sympathises with the family of Mrs. Olayinka Fatukasi Oladeru, and pray God to comfort them in this difficult period.