As the statistics on preventable water-related deaths are staggering, the number of toddlers of African celebrities that have drowned in swimming pools continues to increase.
It was gathered that on average, 35 children die by drowning annually in Canada, most in private pools.
According to Barbara Byers, public education director for Canada’s Lifesaving Society, the drowning scenarios of toddlers occur when parents or guardians were either distracted or not there.
In her words: “Under the age of five, 96 percent of the time the parents were either distracted or not there.”
Recall that Nigeria’s popular singer, David Adeleke, aka Davido, on Monday evening lost his three-year-old son, Ifeanyi, who drowned in a swimming pool in his father’s Banana Island residence in Lagos.
While Nigerians are still trying to come to terms with Ifeanyi’s death, his demise sadly reminds one of Dapo Oyebanji, better known as D’banj, whose son died in a similar way in 2018.
There are indeed strange similarities between those two deaths, which makes many believe that Ifeanyi’s death was avoidable, his parents having supposedly learned from what happened to D’banj.
10 similarities between Daniel and Ifeanyi’s death
1. Both are sons of popular artists at the peak of their careers and fame.
2. They were the only sons of their parents.
3. They just celebrated their birthdays before their untimely deaths.
4. They both died very young. While D’banj’s son was just a year old, Davido’s son was three.
5. Both fathers were not at home when the sad incidents happened. While D’banj was in the United States to receive an award, Davido and his wife Chioma traveled to Ibadan for a family gathering.
6. The two sons both drowned in swimming pools in their parents’ residences.
7. As celebrities, both parents live in high-brow areas on the island. D’banj son died in Ikoyi, while Davido’s son died in Banana Island.
8. Both parents regularly post photos of their sons on social media.
9. The stage names of both fathers start with the letter D.
10. Both parents lost their child in the Lagos pool.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) recalls that sometime in June 2018, D’banj, lost his 13-month-old son, Daniel Jr. after he drowned at his Ikoyi residence, in Lagos.
Late Daniel drowned during the visit of some friends of the family.
D’banj was said to be away for a musical award in Los Angeles, United States when the incident happened.
The singer, while sharing a black picture with emoticons, he wrote, “Trying times. But my God is always and forever faithful.”
Swimming Pool Safety Tips for Toddlers
Never leave your child alone.
Fence in your pool.
Install a secure gate.
Invest in rescue gear.
Keep your child within arm’s reach.
Stay above the waterline.
Don’t rely on floaties.
Take swimming and CPR classes.