Teenage stowaway's father speaks, I didn't abandon him.

Culled from Punch
Two weeks after his son flew from Benin City to
Lagos in the wheel compartment of an aircraft
belonging to Arik Air, Daniel Ohikhena’s father
denies claims that he abandoned his family.
Little is known about Daniel Ohikhena, the 13-
year-old stowaway who flew from Benin City to
Lagos in the wheel compartment of a plane
belonging to Arik Air, by his schoolmates at Ogbe
Junior Secondary School in the Edo State capital.
Shortly before his celebrated escapade, Daniel’s
mother, Mrs. Evelyn Ohikhena, had withdrawn him
from a private secondary school for want of
money to pay his tuition fees. She had enrolled
him in OJSS, which was about 500 metres from
her residence.
Investigation by our correspondent shows that the
teenager had spent only a term in his new school
before embarking on the dangerous adventure. A
source said, on condition of anonymity, that Daniel
joined the school, popularly known as ‘Ezoti Junior’
just before the end of the third term.
A youth named Festus, who also resides in the same
neighbourhood as the stowaway boy, said the latter
was not popular in the area.
“We hardly know him. It was recently that we heard he
lives in the neighbourhood. I have not seen much of
him. He was very quiet at school. I have not known
him for long,” he said.
However, events took a dramatic turn on Tuesday
when the boy’s father, Osaigbovo Ohikhena, 44,
materialised as if from nowhere. Earlier, his wife
(Daniel’s mother) had claimed that they did not live
together.
Mr. Ohikhena, who is a driver by profession, said he
had been separated from his family for a year because
of a misunderstanding between him and Daniel’s mum.
But he denied the latter’s claim that he abandoned his
family.
“I always pay my children’s school fees and provide
money for their feeding regularly, contrary to claims
that I abandoned my family. After I lost my job, I
decided to move to a cheaper apartment and told my
wife that they should move in with me. But she refused
and continued to stay in the three-bedroom flat. My
new residence is located on Siluko Road. I decided to
come here (Government House) to tell the world that I
am the father of Daniel.
“Initially, when I heard the news, I thought my son was
kidnapped. But my wife said I should calm down and
she promised to get back to me when everything is
finally okay. I never dreamt of going to America nor am
I married to another woman. My wife refused to give
the DSS my phone number when they asked for it,” he
said.
Giving an insight to what could have been responsible
for the teenager’s strange behaviour, an expert and
sociologist at the University of Benin, Dr Kingsley
Omoyibo, described him as suffering from maladjusted
personality, due to inability to mix. Omoyibo did not
only warn against labelling the teenager a criminal
because of his action; he recommended that the
youngster be made to undergo rehabilitation.
Noting that what happened to Daniel could have
resulted from his experience in his home, the don urged
the boy’s parents to live up to their responsibilities in
order to prevent untoward behaviour from their children
in the future.
He said, “Like we learnt, the boy is a recluse. He has a
withdrawn personality because he does not mix. This
is why he acts the way he does. This condition is
capable of making him do damage not only to himself,
but to his siblings and his immediate environment.
“The boy needs to be rehabilitated. Although we cannot
say that his attempt to stowaway in the wheel
compartment of an aircraft is criminal behaviour, it is a
devious act that must have been propelled by lack of
adequate parental care. I do not know the background,
but what we can extrapolate from this is that the home
is not stable.
“You will find out that there is a lacuna in the
upbringing of the boy and consequently, it has affected
the way he reasons and appreciates societal issues.
The way he sees the complexity of society is different
from a child that has complete socialization. The boy is
suffering from maladjusted personality.
“Indeed, that child, I still maintain, is not a criminal. In
the process of maladjustment, he is exposed to odious
things. For a child to keep all night watching films, it
tells a lot about his state of mind.”
Now that a group known as De RAUFS has offered the
teenage stowaway scholarship up to university level, it
is the duty of his parents to seek ways of reshaping his
character for a better future.