The author of ‘Bantu, the big fat bully’ Mrs Temioluwa Adeshina, has taken anti-bullying campaign to schools to sensitise children on the ugly act and its effects in the society.
The book, which comes in series, is targeted at educating school children on the danger of bullying and the need to embrace dialogue as an alternative.
The Africa’s number one anti-bullying book was adopted as a resource material by Active Projectile Limited, and approved by the Lagos State Government this year for all schools in the state.
Adeshina, a graduate of Agriculture Economics from Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomosho Oyo State, explained that bullying starts in a child at a very tender age and when such trait was not curtailed by parents and school teachers , once noticed.
Speaking at a school leaders convention on Saturday, she said. “Every act of violent, rape and terrorism emanated from an act of bullying that was not curbed earlier in the life of a child. Adolf Hitler was once a child, there was a seed in him that if someone had curbed, he probably wouldn’t have started the Second World War. Nelson Mandela was once a child as well. Every leader we have today were once a child and that is where we need to start to work on. If we want a sane generation and a safe future for our children, then we need to begin to do something about some intentional wicked act by our children so that it doesn’t yield ugly events later.
“Where does cultism, corruption, violent, and rape come from? It comes from a seed inside a child that was not uprooted at the right time. Every problem we have in the society started from something and bullying is not just shoving a child and collecting his food but it is a mean intentional act’’.
Adeshina believes that bullying children needs help and therefore advised parents to be more responsible, and keep their children away from any form of violent act, either verbal or physical’.
She said: ‘It is not a good thing for your children to see you beat your wife or wives using ugly verbal words. This registers in the head of the child and it becomes a pattern for the child to follow.:
The anti bullying campaign comprises of having anti bullying sheriff’s who will monitor and help correct a bullying child. There will also be anti bullying boxes to collect reports of children who bully others in schools.