The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Children

  • Three children drown in Ebonyi river

    Tragedy struck Tuesday in Egwugwu Agbaja community in Abakaliki local government area of Ebonyi State as three children drowned in a River during a swimming expedition.

    The victims, The Nation gathered lived in the same yard at No. 19 Ikechukwu Ogbaga Street.

    Two of the deceased Kingsley Nwenyi (12yrs) and Obinna Nwenyi (6yrs) it was further gathered were brothers.

    Their mother is a widow with 9 children before the incident while Somtochukwu Ogbonna (11yrs), the third victim, was the last child in his family of four children.

    They drowned when they went to swim at the river after school.

    “When the first person jumped into the river and did not come out, the other two followed suit and never came out,” a source said.

    The source further revealed that a fourth child who went with them to the river refused to jump into the river.

    “After waiting for a while and the three who jumped in did appear, he raised an alarm that attracted the attention of villagers,” added the source.

    But all attempts at a rescue failed as they were found dead in the river.

    Two of the deceased were in primary 6 while one was in primary 3 at Egugwu Agbaja Primary school.

    They had started their second term examinations the same day they drowned.

    Police spokesman, ASP Chris Anyanwu, confirmed the incident even as he noted that he was yet to receive full investigative report on the incident.

  • Residents urged to immunise their children

    The Chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) Hon. Micah Jiba has advised residents of the area to ensure that children between zero and five years are immunised against all child killer diseases during the current exercise.

    The council chief spoke while flagging off Immunisation Plus Day at Angwuan Hausawa in Damagaza Village. He said there was need for co-operation from every stakeholder in the council in order to ensure the success of this year’s immunisation exercise.

    He further said since the council has attained 85 per cent success in the fight against polio last year, there was need to sustain and exceed the success this year.

    The Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Primary Healthcare Development Board (PHCDB), Dr. Rilwan Mohammed, appealed to the Federal Government to enact a law to prevent landlords from building houses without toilet facilities.

    Mohammed advised individuals and organisations to ensure that they make toilet facilities major component of their houses.

    According to him, any corporate organisation that plans to construct a place of leisure or celebrations must also include toilet facilities, saying that at the Millennium Park, there are no toilet facilities while in Wonderland, there are very few toilet facilities.

    “It is not proper that such places do not have toilet facilities. Any child that is pressed would defecate anywhere. That is why we are having outbreak of diseases like polio in Nigeria. There should be adequate toilet facilities for people’s conveniences.

    “I also appeal to the communities to make sure that their children are immunised in this round of the exercise and that of April,” he said.

  • Boko Haram: Parents withdraw children from Yobe schools

    Boko Haram: Parents withdraw children from Yobe schools

    Every parent wants his child to be educated. But where the school becomes a killing field, what would parents do? This is the dilemma in which parents in Yobe State schools now find themselves. Many are withdrawing their children from school because of Boko Haram attacks in which hundreds of pupils have been killed. JOEL DUKU (Damaturu) reports

    Even before the Federal Government shut some unity schools in Yobe and other Northeastern states, parents had been withdrawing their children from those schools for safety reasons. Many pupils have become targets of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram.

    No fewer than 136 are feared to have been killed so far.

    On February 25, the sect killed no fewer than 59 pupils when it attacked the Federal Government College (FGC) at Buni Yadi. Scores are still missing. Hunters have been hired to comb the bushes near the school for them. Schools in Borno State have also suffered similar attacks, with scores of pupils also killed.

    The Yobe state government and the Joint Task Force (JTF) had assured parents of their children’s safety before the Buni Yadi attack. Some parents took solace in the government’s assurance and left their children in school. Some withdrew theirs following the fate of other children in other schools.

    Many top government officials are said to have relocated their children to Kano, Abuja, Kaduna and big cities to continue their education. children of low income earners are said to be at the mercy of the because of lack of funds.

    Adamu (not real name), the father of one of the surviving pupils of the FGC, Buni Yadi attack appears worried. He told our reporter that as long as there is no end to “these senseless killings”, he will never compromise his son’s future.

    “I must tell you that Allah is our only hope for these senseless killings. I am confused and devastated but I cannot compromise the future of my son for fear. He must go to school,” Adamu assured.

    Parents, who moved their children, said they acted on instinct. Hauwa, a single mother, said she withdrew her two daughters from FGC, Buni Yadi after the College of Agriculture in the same area was hit by Boko Haram in December.

    “As if I knew, I was uncomfortable since the attack on the College of Agriculture, Gujba because my two daughters were in FGC, Buni Yadi which is very close to that place. I had to borrow money to transfer them to another school in Jigawa State. Look at what has happened now. May Allah save us from this problem,” Hauwa said.

    Idris Abubakar, a civil servant, relived the pains of living without his children whom he relocated to Abuja.

    “I had to relocate my children to Masaka close to Abuja for them to get better education. But it has not been easy managing a family away from my location. I travel often to see them. My only consolation is that I will soon retire from the Yobe State Civil Service. So, I will move and connect permanently with my family,” he said.

    Since the Boko Haram attacks started, Government Secondary School (GSS), Damaturu, Government Secondary School, Mamudo in Potiskum, College of Agriculture Gujba and FGC, Buni Yadi have been hit.

    The attacks are impeding government’s efforts to turn things round in the educationally disadvantaged state.

    Aishatu and her husband are civil servants in the state; but she is against parents withdrawing their children from school. According to her, any reasonable parents must ensure that his or her child gets education regardless of the circumstances.

    “For those of us that work and live in this place, we have no choice but to put our children in school. My problem is not even Boko Haram but there are no good schools around for the children to get good and qualitative education.

    “I feel sorry for the state government because they are trying a lot but the crisis keeps dragging them backward. I am aware that many schools were burnt and government has to spend more money to rebuild these schools.

    “One area that is lacking on the part of government is to sustain an awareness campaign among the citizenry on the need for parents not to give up on education. Without proper education, there will be more crises in future,” Aishatu said.

    The FGC Buni Yadi attack made a woman popularly known as Mama Comfort to almost change her mind about her only daughter’s education. It took the school authority to convince her not to take the girl home.

    Mama Comfort told our reporter that she and other parents took the same decision that fateful day.

    “Many of us went there to remove our children, from that school. The principal of the a school assured us that nothing will happen to our children, but for me, I had made up my mind that I was not leaving without my only daughter. Other people left but I refused to. After several pleas from the principal and my refusal to shift ground, he had to go and call soldiers who came and chase me out of the school”, Mama Comfort told our reporter.

    The woman noted that the school has no fence; hence her fears on the security of the school.

    “I was surprised that the back of the school is empty without fence, you only see fence by the main road but the back of the school is empty, not even a wire to restrict movement.”

    “It is better for me to keep her (daughter) safe and alive than to die. Let her stay with me here. When I get money, I will find another school for her outside Yobe,” Mama Comfort said.

    Msheliza (not real name) is a lecturer at the Federal Polytechnic in Damaturu. He has relocated his three children to another school in Jos, the Plateau State capital.

    “Since 2012, the attacks on Damaturu by Boko Haram insurgents have had a serious effect on student enrollment.

    “Whenever there was an attack in those days, children would stay out of schools for days, sometimes weeks so I decided to take my children to Jos where education and the environment are better.”

    “Take it or leave it, the quality of education in Yobe has become poorer because of these attacks. Student enrollment has dropped and the apathy for learning is on the increase. The government of Yobe State may be doing its best but if you are reconstructing schools that are burnt by the insurgents and there are no pupils in the schools then what are you achieving? Msheliza asked.

    To keep Boko Haram at bay, many private schools in Yobe are using private guards.

    A head teacher in a private school said the measures became necessary to forestall attacks.

    “Though we cannot stop these attacks but we need to put up measure that can reduce the impact in case we have to contend with one”, he said.

    Most private school owners were reluctant to divulge their security arrangements.”

    “It will amount to no sense if I tell you the security measures we have in this school. That would further weaken our strategies. I am sorry”, a head teacher in a private school told our reporter.

    Another teacher, who pleaded anonymity said: “Let me tell you, the security situation in this region has made everybody alert and security conscious. Most of our school children are aware that things are not the same in this area. Some of the parents are seriously doing the orientation at home. But as a school, we always remind our students during assembly to be vigilant and careful.

    “As for the little ones, we normally tell them not to collect gifts or talk to any stranger but to report to their teacher anybody that insists on something from them, or better still run away”, the teacher said.

    Our reporter, who went round Damaturu, the state capital, noticed that almost all the private schools now have fortified gates.

    Governor Ibrahim Gaidam has condemned the killing of pupils. He said his administration would not be deterred from providing quality education to all.

    “I must say that the act of these insurgents is unfortunate, devastating and highly barbaric; but their attitude will not stop us from fulfilling our campaign promises to the people of Yobe State, Insha Allah. We will continue to provide quality education to our children, free medical treatment to pregnant women and children under five years, poverty alleviation, good water, and infrastructural transformation of the state.

    “I am sad that the resources we would have used to provide other infrastructure are now being channelled to the reconstruction of the schools. But we have to do it for the sake of the future of our children,” Gaidam said.

    As at June, statistics from Yobe State Ministry of Education indicated that over 209 schools were destroyed by the insurgents. the state requires over N2.5 billion to rebuild them. The figures may have increased by now, with the insurgents recurring attacks.

    To win back parents’ confidence and restore hope in the education sector, the government has rebuilt over 300 burnt classrooms.

    The government has also begun the construction of perimeter fencing around the schools. A visit to GSS, Damaturu, showed an overhaul of dilapidated infrastructure. The school has also been fenced round. The fencing of the College of Agriculture, Gujba, is ongoing, while that of GSS, Mamudo, has been completed.

     

    ‘Don’t withdraw your children from school’

    Yobe State Commissioner for Education Alhaji Mohammed Alamin, in this interview with DUKU JOEL speaks on the fortune the government is spending on infrastructure and security in public schools. He is calling on parents not to withdraw their children to schools outside the state.

    Until the insurgents redirected attacks on schools in the state, the education sector was on the priority list of government. What is government doing to improve security in schools?

    Initially, we thought their (Boko Haram) attacks will not be carried to this magnitude; but as soon as they started showing interest that they wanted to destroy some of our schools, we made efforts in collaboration with security agencies to provide security round our schools. That was after the Damaturu and Mamudo attacks. Even the Defence Headquarters sent senior officers to assess the situation, we told them that we needed soldiers to be around our schools. They said they didn’t have such manpower for all schools. They only promised that their men would patrol the schools. To be fair to them, they have been providing the security and by the grace of God, we stayed for a few months without any attack on our schools after the College of Agriculture attack in Gujba. All of a sudden, the unfortunate incident at FGC Buni Yadi happened again. This one too is very devastating, pathetic, callous and in fact inhuman because it is the same manner and way they killed these students in the previous attacks that they still did; gathering them and killing about 29 of them.

    Tell us about efforts geared towards the schools’ reconstruction

    Since the Damaturu, Mamudo and the College of Agric incidents, the Yobe State government has been trying to rebuild these schools. Despite our challenges, you will realise that education still tops our priority as a state. We have rebuilt and reconstructed the entire schools. If you go to these schools, you will realise that in addition to those structures provided, we have also fenced the schools round. Now we have provided some form of security to the students and we have assured parents that the students would be secured in these schools. All these are efforts being made by the Yobe State Government that in spite of the challenges, we will not relent in our efforts to providing an enabling environment for our teachers and students to learn.

    Have you received assistance or an intervention fund from the Federal Government for the rebuilding of these schools?

    In terms of schools, we have not received any intervention from anybody. I was made to understand that the Federal Government granted about N150million or so to the state government. But even that amount is nothing compared to the destruction made by these mindless insurgents and the repairs we have undertaken.

    How much did it cost you to rebuild the schools?

    The GDSS Damaturu alone cost us overN339million, GSSS Mamudo cost us about N160million, and just the fencing of College of Agric is about N120million. What I have told you is excluding all the primary schools being destroyed in the state and the equipment by the insurgents across the state. As far as relief or assistance is concerned, we have not received anything from anybody for the reconstruction or rebuilding of these schools. Not that I know of.

    To what extent have you been able to rebuild confidence in parents with respect to security?

    Yes, fencing is one of the confidence we are providing both for the parents and the students.Before, GDSS Damaturu was very porous and you can come in from any direction. But now, we have fenced the school and very soon we will provide security wires on top of the fence to give the students and even parents some confidence that the government is providing security. At least, there is only one entrance to the school because the land mass, which was before free, has been fenced. By the time we provide the security wire, nobody can climb the wall. We have done the same thing at Mamudo and the College of Agric and, eventually, all the schools in the state would be provided with this security measure for the pupils to, at least, have some level of security in all schools across the state.

    There is panic among parents as many are withdrawing their children from schools across the state after the Buni Yadi attack. What is your advice to them?

    I would like to assure them that our children would be safe in all our schools. The Buni Yadi incident is unfortunate. According to the information reaching us, it occurred when they withdrew security agents posted to the school. I learnt they (government) withdrew security in certain places and took them where they would be needed them most. By so doing, they weakened the security around the school. If the re-enforcement were at Buni Yadi, I am sure this unfortunate killing wouldn’t have occurred because the soldiers’ base is less that 2km from the school. The entire Federal Government College was burnt. No structure – a classroom, dormitory, laboratory, staff quarters, library – was left. One needs to see the extent of the destruction to appreciate what has been done in that school by the insurgents. No structure is standing. There are over 40 houses for the staff alone, not to talk of the classrooms – all were burnt. On the final note, there is no sense for parents to withdraw their kids from schools.

    What is the state approach to education now in view of the development?

    Education still remains a priority for Yobe State government. Despite the challenges, we will continue to provide education to our citizens. If we dare say we cannot provide, that is what the insurgents want. You know they say, Boko Haram traslates to ‘education is sin’. So, we will not do that. Rather, we will continue to rebuild, reconstruct, and provide all that is needed for our children to be educated. That knowledge we must not fail to give to our children.

     

  • CARNIRIV: Children advocate environment preservation

    CARNIRIV: Children advocate environment preservation

    This year’s edition of the Rivers State-owned international carnival, CARNIRIV, kicked off on Sunday with the Kids’ Carnival. During the event, the children advocated a culture of environment preservation to engender sustainable national growth.

    Hundreds of school children who converged on Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt, which also doubles as the Carnival Village, were spectacular in their enthralling and creative costumes that encapsulated the essence of the first carnival in Nigeria.

    More importantly, their beautiful and creative carnival costumes reflected the theme for this year’s CARNIRIV dubbed the ‘Green World Edition.’

    The kids, in their renditions and messages, emphasised responsible environmental culture by all and sundry to stem the current global warming, even as they called on all stakeholders to show more concern by doing everything possible to curtail activities which could impact negatively on the environment.

    The theme of the seven-day carnival which started on Sunday December 15 to end on December 21, is, ‘Our environment, bedrock for sustainable development.

    Apart from the matched dance steps, well-choreographed body swings and acrobatic display, their messages of environmental responsibility were very strong and captured in very emotional phrases some of which included ‘‘say no to marine debris,’’ ‘‘give a hoot, don’t pollute,’’ ‘‘say no to plastic, say no to trash,’’ and ‘‘trash is dangerous, dispose your waste properly.’’

    Some of the pupils were also members of Clean Coast Nigeria, a volunteer group that advocates clean and green environment and responsible environmental behaviour.

    Speaking on their excitement and involvement in the events, Miss Elizabeth Ucheawaji and Master Chigozie Obikwere, both pupils of Government Secondary School, Elekahia Port Harcourt, said the message of environmental sustainability could not be over-emphasised because ‘‘our environment is our heritage.”

    ‘‘CARNIRIV is a very big event for us in Rivers State, and I love what is going on here this year. The environment is crucial for our survival. We must take care of our environment,’ Ucheawaji said.

    On his part, Ucheawaji declared: ‘‘I am happy to be part of the contingent and also to speak on the issue of our environment. Without a sustainable environment, no human being, plant or animal can survive. This is why we must be responsible the way we handle our environment.’’

    The Director-General, Rivers State Tourism Development Agency (RSTDA) Dr. Sam Dede, commended the excellent display of the rich culture of the Rivers people by the children, stressing that the intent of giving children a special place at CARNIRIV was to bring out the creativity and potential in them.

    He said the Kids’ Carnival spoke to the fun, refreshment, leisure and unrestrained entertainment befitting of an ice-breaker event in anticipation of the grand opening of the carnival.

    “The show of colour, glamour, style and class which CARNIRIV is renowned for, has been brought to bear through these children today. But it was just the beginning. We assure everyone coming to attend this year’s carnival of the best experience of our colourful and captivating parade. No doubt, every moment of the Green World Edition of CARNIRIV is a moment no one will forget in a hurry,” Dede said.

    The coordinating choreographer, Mr. Dan Walter, alluded to the brilliant performance by the children, which he attributed to rigorous rehearsals, endurance and sacrifice on the part of the children.

    He said: ‘‘we went to their schools and we did audition for them. We had series of rehearsals; we took them through the various aspects of dance and body movements. We wrote the script and thought them everything along the line of the CARNIRIV theme.’’

     

     

     

     

  • His women, children, grandkids

    His women, children, grandkids

    Nelson Mandela was a lady’s man. And before his death, he married three, the last at an advanced age. Many believe he married his last wife Graca Mitchel, his late friend’s wife, only for companionship.

    He fathered six children, twenty grandchildren, and a several great-grandchildren.

    His first marriage was to a nurse, Evelyn Ntoko Mase who, like Mandela, was from Transkei area of South Africa. They got married in 1944. She was Walter Sisulu’s cousin. They met in Johannesburg. The couple broke up in 1957 after 13 years, divorcing under the multiple strains of his constant absences, devotion to revolutionary agitation, and the fact she was a Jehovah’s Witness, a religion which requires political neutrality. She died in 2004. They had two sons, Madiba Thembekile and Makgatho. Thembekile, who was born in 1946, died in 1969 of a car crash at 23. Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island at the time and was not allowed to attend the funeral. Makgatho, who was born in 1950, died in 2005 of AIDS. He was 54.

    They had their first daughter, Makaziwe in 1947. She died at nine months, and they named their second daughter in her honour in 1953. She is the only surviving of their four children. All their children were educated at the United World College of Waterford, Kamhlaba.

    His second wife is the popular Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. She is also from Transkei area. Like his first wife, he met her in Johannesburg, where she was working as the city’s first black social worker. They had two daughters, Zenani (Zeni), born February 4, 1958, and Zindziswa (Zindzi) Mandela-Hlongwane, born 1960. Zindzi was only 18 months old when her father was sent to Robben Island. The marriage ended in separation in April 1992 and divorce in March 1996, largely as a result of political estrangement.

    Zenani married Prince Thumbumuzi Dlamini in 1973, elder brother of King Mswati III of Swaziland, while his father was still in prison. One of their sons, Prince Cedza Dlamini, who was born in 1976 and educated in the United States, has followed in his grandfather’s footsteps as an international advocate for human rights and humanitarian aid. In July 2012, Zenani was appointed ambassador to Argentina, becoming the first of Mandela’s three remaining children to enter public life. Zindzi Mandela-Hlongwane made history worldwide when she read out Mandela’s speech refusing his conditional pardon in 1985. She is a businesswoman in South Africa with three children, the eldest of whom is a son, Zondwa Gadaffi Mandela.

    His third and last marriage was contracted on his 80th birthday in 1998 to Graça Machel née Simbine, widow of the late Samora Machel, the former Mozambican president and ANC ally killed in an air crash 12 years earlier.

  • ‘Why I’m focused on children’

    ‘Why I’m focused on children’

    Abiola Akinyeye is a graduate of Mathematics and Statistics, a student member of the Chattered Institute of Bankers (CIBN), a holder of MBA in International Business Management and a banker by profession. Her passion for the piano as a young girl saw her becoming a pianist and an impresario. Akinyeye who is also the brain behind ‘Divine Octaves’ (a soul-inspiring entertainment outfit), spoke with Yetunde Oladeinde about her achievements, challenges as well as her pet projects: merger of Talents and kids got Talent.

    WHY and how did you go into projecting talents in children? The journey into projecting talents in children began as a result of my appreciation for the genuine creativity exhibited by kids. It is worth mentioning that most of the talents in children are latent, therefore there is need to help them showcase the hidden talent in them to the world. Children exhibit potentials for creativity and giving them this platform to express the hidden talents would go a long way to grow and groom the talents.

    Unlike in the past when a lot of emphasis was placed on white collar jobs, things are different now and young people are discovering themselves and making the megabucks too. Once there is an avenue for such discoveries it would ensure a future with a difference for them.

    What is the focus of your organisation?

    We are focused on the talent hunt show for children, musical shows and production for children.

    What makes yours different from others?

    Asides showcasing the talents, we still go the extra mile to help them improve and develop the talent in them. It is better to encourage children and young people to have something that they are passionate about. This way they would not be restless and would have confidence in themselves. Energies would be channelled positively and there would be less time to spend on vices.

    Tell us some of the projects you have carried out. What inspired you to do them?

    We have carried out nine successful projects, out of which five have been focused on children (Kids got Talent).

    We have produced kid’s stars from our shows. A lot of encouragement from parents and kids to see this show every year has been a great source of inspiration. Some of our winners have become brand ambassadors and even won awards. I look forward to the 10th anniversary where all these can be unveiled.

    What about your educational and professional background?

    I am a mathematician and I work in a bank.

    How would you describe working with children and in the bank sector?

    Working with children has been awesome. Apart from winning at the Kids Got Talent hunt, they have also performed at subsequent events and they are really doing well. One of them, Akorede Macaulay, last year performed at the first lady’s party and won. He has also won several awards after the show. The winner of the just concluded Kids got Talent is an eight-year-old singer and guitarist boy called Enosaze Omontuemen.

    What are some of the challenges experienced?

    Even though our world is evolving, some parent still believes that the four walls of the classroom is the only way out. We are using this avenue to let parents know that every child is talented and they should support the talent in these children.

    What are the other things that occupy your time?

    Majorly, my work.

    Who or what would you describe as your greatest influence in life?

    My mum has been a very great influence.

    Some of your antecedents and plans for the future?

    We will be having our Kids got Talent festival in 2014. It is going to be a unique opportunity and we will be celebrating 10 years of growing talents. The festival will also stage a colorful concert for past winners of the Kids got Talent show and there will be a number of other side attractions. Here we want people to see the difference and compare what it was like when they won and the difference and transformation that has taken place.

    The next event actually marks our tenth anniversary and we are starting something new which will include those who are not arts-inclined. Even if you are not talented in the arts, we are creating what we call, “Exploring your numeracy IQ”.

    If you had to advice children, what would you tell them?

    The best thing that can happen to anybody is to discover that which is innate. As children, they should always have it at the back of their mind that they have talents. They should therefore make it a point of duty to exhibit it and not let it die. It is also important to note that no matter how hidden your talent is, it is better to express yourself. From experience, I have come to realise that a lot of young people are discovered during auditioning. They discover some of these potentials and gradually it begins to come out.

  • Making culture part of children

    Making culture part of children

    Calabar, the Cross River State capital, was agog with children cultural celebration last weekend when the Heritage and Culture Department of the Governor’s Office and the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC) organised series of dance-dramas and art exhibitions for children. Edozie Udeze who attended the show reports that the occasion offered the children the opportunity to display their talents to the delight of guests.

    Calabar, the Cross River State capital was frenzy with children cultural activities and festivals last weekend. It was one weekend when children took their fate in their hands. The Ekpe and Ewe masquerades which hardly appear in public were being celebrated by children. The children’s version of these great masquerades formed part of the many activities to ensure that the younger ones are in tune with their culture. As they moved from street to street, soliciting for money and appreciation, the drums beat and the masquerades danced. The street shows formed part of what makes Cross River State spectacular and unique especially this time of the year.

    But beyond the street masquerade dances, at the Cultural Centre in Calabar, the real big event for the weekend also took place. There, children from different parts of the state were on hand to display their dexterity and dancing prowess as part of the efforts by the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC) to ensure that Nigerian cultures do not fizzle out.

    This year’s annual children cultural festival was celebrated in Calabar for the first time. The idea was to give the celebration a national spread and to equally encourage children from that part of the country to continuously pay attention to what is their own. The theme was entitled My Root, My Pride, and done in collaboration with the Heritage and Culture department of the governor’s office in Cross River State. This was why the first lady of the state, Mrs. Obioma Liyel Imoke, was on hand to receive visitors and also encouraged the children to always be proud of their heritage.

    As the children mounted the stage to dance, the hall erupted with hilarious acclaim. With their series of costumes, set designs and props, they proved how much they had given to the dance patterns in order to demonstrate their level of preparedness. The dances were in different modes and shapes. The maiden dances for which the local people are well known dominated the scene.

    Yet the school children were mandated to showcase some elements of both the Ewe and Ekpe dance patterns. Here, the show was more of dance-dramas. The children were free to use the dance to tell their own stories. As they were engaged in it, they told the stories of the moonlight, the after harvest moments, fishing and farming, all of which formed the traditions of the people.

    There was plenty of grace and opulence in their movements on stage. At a point, many people began to wonder if the kids were really professional dancers. Each school was given fifteen minutes to showcase their dances. Since it was a competitive show, the timing was necessary to ensure that there was total discipline and cohesion. By this, the dances came in different stages as each school tried to outdo the other.

    More than what people expected, the drummers and other instrumentalists added the greatest vibes to the movements on stage. As they beat away with maddening frenzy, the stage was equally electrified with the best dance patterns one could ever expect from kids. It was the styles and the change from one pattern to the other that thrilled people most.

    Mrs. Imoke who chaired the occasion sat all through the programme and the glow on her face depicted her joyful mood. She was compelled to recognise that “there’s abundance of talents in these children. Therefore, we’ll continue to support CBAAC in its efforts to continue to promote our culture. The attention being paid on the kids is even more laudable, for they are the future of this great nation,” she said, while the audience applauded.

    In his own speech, Professor Tunde Gabriel Babawale of CBAAC commended the state government for the opportunity to have the show in Calabar. The natural allure of Calabar, Babawale reaffirmed makes it the cultural centre of our country and the people. He also reminded the gathering that CBAAC has chosen to invest in the culture of the kids because it is necessary to catch them young.

    According to Babawale, “Central to our quest for cultural continuity is the need to restore and promote interest in cultural values which are being gradually eroded by the impacts of exposure to western norms and values. This situation has dwarfed our children’s ability to understand and appreciate the beauty of African culture. Our children are as a consequence now dangerously exposed to western values transmitted via the media.”

    Based on this, the topic was chosen to direct children’s attention to their local languages, art exhibitions and dances, all of which centred exclusively on how to bring the message closer home. To Babawale, “Our prosperity as individuals and country lies in the values we inculcate in our children. Therefore parents, teachers and of course, the society at large should complement these efforts. The task of creating a peaceful and progressive society based on our common heritage is our joint responsibility.”

    In his own remarks, Chief Edem Duke, the Minister of Culture agreed that time had come indeed to induct culture into the lives of the children early enough. “If this lofty vision is to be realised, then our children should be initiated into these cherished values that are inherent in our children. In fact, given the pervasive dwindling interest in our culture and the need to encourage our young people to take pride in their roots, this programme is appropriate and represents a timely effort at national re-engineering.”

    With an exhibition of some art works by the kids, the event comprehensively paid tributes to the inherent talents in the children. And with over twenty schools in contention, it proved that if given the necessary leeway, children can always prove their mettle. This was why Senator Bassey Henshaw who was involved in the show and who provided the prizes for the winners felt that nothing done to encourage the kids could be seen to be too much.

    Present at the occasion were dignitaries from different parts of the country. They included Martin Adaji, Director of the National Troupe of Nigeria, Professor Okon Eya Okon of the University of Calabar, Senator Bassey Henshaw, Mary Agba of Heritage department and many others.

  • Saving children

    Saving children

    About 35,000 of our children are killed every day. We kill them in wars. We kill them with drones. We kill them in our homes. We also kill children in vast numbers by starving them to death in Africa, Asia and Central/South America because we use military violence to maintain an ‘economic’ system that allocates resources for military weapons, as well as corporate profits for the wealthy, instead of resources for living.

    Apart from those children we kill every day, we sell many others into sexual slavery, we kidnap others to terrorise them into becoming child soldiers, we force others to work as slave labourers, in horrific conditions, in fields and factories (and buy the cheap products of their exploited labour as our latest ‘bargain’), and we condemn millions to live in poverty, homelessness and misery.

    We cause many children to be born with grotesque genetic deformities because we use horrific weapons, like those with depleted uranium, on their parents. We also inflict violence on
    children in many other forms, ranging from ‘ordinary’ domestic violence to genital mutilation.

    And we imprison vast numbers of children in school in the delusional belief that this is good for them. Whatever other damage that school does, it certainly helps to create the next generation of child-destroyers.

    Despite all of the above, we adults still maintain our delusion that we humans love our children. And that we are civilised. Mind boggling!

    While some effort has been made by the international community to recognise that young human beings have needs, so far these efforts have failed to identify, and therefore meaningfully address, the primary reason why no child in the world today has its most fundamental needs met. This failure ensures that all of our other efforts to preserve and enhance life must ultimately fail, as our rush to extinction graphically illustrates. How can I say this? Consider this.

    The man who inflicts violence on women was damaged during childhood. The white person who inflicts violence on people of colour was damaged during childhood. The employer who exploits workers was damaged during childhood.
    The individual who endorses the state violence inflicted on indigenous peoples was damaged during childhood. The terrorist, the political leader who wages war and the soldier who kills in our name were all damaged during childhood.

    The person who supports structures of violence (such as the military, police, legal and prison systems) was damaged during childhood. The person who supports structures of exploitation (such as capitalism and imperialism) was damaged during childhood. The person who thoughtlessly participates in destruction of the natural environment was damaged during childhood.

    Violence does not ‘just happen’. It is perpetrated by damaged individuals, including ourselves. Or it is built into political, social and economic structures by damaged individuals, such as ourselves. So we have a choice.
    We can take responsibility for healing the damage done to ourselves. And we can take responsibility for ending the origin of all of this violence: the violence we adults inflict on children. Or we can continue to delude ourselves that there is another source of all of the violence in our world and devote more erroneous effort to addressing it.
    All violence is an outcome of the visible, ‘invisible’ and ‘utterly invisible’ violence inflicted by adults on children. Once the child has been damaged, it will inflict violence on itself, the people around it, as well as non-human species and the natural environment; it will also play a part in maintaining structures of violence and exploitation (such as the education and legal systems, as well as capitalism) in which it is both victim and perpetrator.

    Where violence has been exposed in other contexts, it has led to liberation movements (such as the anti-slavery movement; the anti-war movement; struggles against imperialism, colonialism and racism; women’s liberation; struggles for the rights of indigenous peoples; the environment movement; animal liberation; struggles for the rights of people with disabilities; and the struggle against homophobia) as well as solidarity movements (in which, for example, whites have acted in solidarity with people of colour, pro-feminist men have acted in solidarity with women, and humans have acted in solidarity with non-human species and the natural environment).

    Clearly, a children’s and adolescents’ liberation movement, by whatever name, is long overdue. And while an appropriate charter of young people’s needs might include many provisions contained in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, it must ultimately include fundamental provisions that identify the need to live without the fear and experience of adult
    violence in its many forms, and the need to be listened to and allowed to act in accord with their own Self-will, even when this conflicts with adult preferences.

    Until we are able to acknowledge and support these needs of children, we are deluding ourselves about the possibility of effectively tackling the military, ecological and economic threats to our survival. And time is clearly running out.

    So, to all young people, everywhere, my promise is this: I admit that I inflict violence on you, particularly when you have feelings that frighten me. I also admit that I do not listen to you and
    trust you when you tell me what you need because I like to pretend that I know better than you do or, and it’s scary for me to admit this, you might make choices that conflict with social norms or laws and I will have to make a stand with you, or even on your behalf.

    From today, I promise that I will try  not to inflict this violence on you, including that which I call ‘punishment’ so that I can pretend that I am not using violence, and I will do all that I can to stop other adults inflicting violence on you as well.

    I also admit that we adults have done a bad job at looking after each other, including all of our children, and planet Earth, your home, and that you are going to have an increasingly difficult life as the natural world continues to break down. So I promise to participate in efforts
    being made to address all of these problems, such as that outlined in ‘The Flame Tree Project to Save Life on Earth’ http://tinyurl.com/flametree You can do this with me, if you like.

    I will also let you make all of your choices freely in the same way that I expect to make mine. If you make mistakes, if you change your mind, I will accept these as part of your learning and growing.  This means, for example, that if you tell me that you do not want to go to school (where I know that other adults will tell you what to do in violation of your Self-will), then I will not force you to do so. There are better ways of learning and we can work out together how you might go about doing this.

    If we have differences about what to do, I promise that I will talk about it with you until we find a way forward that seems fair to us both. When I was a child, the adults in my life didn’t give me much choice about what I did, so I am scared that talking about something means that ‘no-one will listen’ and I won’t get what I want. But I will try to trust that if I talk honestly to you about what I need, then you will listen carefully and help me to get what I need as well. I know that if I listen and fair to you, I trust you to listen and be fair with me, then you will learn to listen and be fair with everyone. But this is hard for me. Conflict has often been scary.

    I will not presume that you are less capable than I am, even though you are younger. I will treat you like an equal, just as we adults like to be treated as equals.

    I will be honest with you about how I feel and what I need. Most importantly of all, I promise that I will listen to you as best I can. I get scared when you are scared, angry or sad but part of me knows that you need to feel scared, angry or sad (or something else) when things
    don’t work out as you want, just as you will sometimes feel content, loving or happy when things do work out. Of course, it is easier for me to listen when you are content, loving and happy, and I wish that you were like that all of the time! But life isn’t like that hey? I also get scared
    when you tell me that your Dad/Mum or someone I think is our friend is abusing you but I will do my best to listen to and support you to defend yourself against this violence, one way or another. In my heart, I know that listening means listening to however you are and letting that guide what you do. In the adult world, however, this just isn’t easy to do every day. But I will try! This means, then, that I will also not try to scare you out of telling me the truth when I don’t like it, including your truth about me!

    From today, in a nutshell, I promise that I will support you to act in accordance with your own Self-will. I want you to be free and to be everything that you were born to be.

    Oh, and finally, as best I can, I promise to love you and to respect you as a unique, beautiful and compassionate creation with a great deal to offer the world (as long as adults don’t get in your way). You are, indeed, a child of the Universe. You do, indeed, have a right to be here.

    As an adult, would you be willing to make this promise too? To whom would you make it? If you are not willing to make this promise, what does this tell you about yourself?

    There is no doubt that giving every child (or adult, for that matter) all of the space they need to feel, deeply, what they want to do, and to then let them do it (or to have the feelings they naturally have if someone or something prevents them from doing so) will have some dysfunctional outcomes in the short term.

    This is because we have all been dysfunctionalised, to a greater or lesser extent, by the violence we have already suffered throughout our lives. But listening deeply to a child from birth (or starting today), and supporting it to act out its own Self-will, will lead to an infinitely better overall outcome than the system of emotional suppression, control and punishment of children which has generated the incredibly violent world in which we now find ourselves.

    It will, of course, be difficult for some form of young people’s liberation movement to emerge given the extraordinary level of violence which children suffer and their economic dependence on adults.

    However, many social contexts still provide some space, and social media might
    offer new opportunities, for political organisation by young people. Until they do organize politically, those adults who wish to act in solidarity with children can readily do so by doing any or all of the following seven things.

    First, like some individual members of other violent/oppressive groups before you (such as anti-racist whites and pro-feminist men who sought to eliminate their own racism/sexism), you could take responsibility for identifying and progressively eliminating your own violence against
    children (using the information in ‘Why Violence?’ as a guide or, preferably, by listening to children).

    Second, you could raise awareness of violence against children and challenge/support others, including institutions, to take responsibility for ending their violence against children (perhaps by asking them to consider making the ‘Promise to Children’ above).

    Third, you could listen to children (in silence) with patience, love and compassion when children feel safe to talk of (or otherwise reveal, perhaps through some form of artistic expression) their experience of violence and to express their feelings (including fear, anger, sadness and others) about this violence.

    Fourth, you could organise a safe forum (facilitated by someone experienced in listening to emotionally-disturbing events) in which a few children could share with each other (by talking or through some form of artistic expression) their experiences of, and feelings about, the
    violence they have suffered and witnessed.

    Fifth, you could support children’s efforts to communicate and organise around the issue of adult violence against children.

    Sixth, you could support children to take action against adult violence when those children feel courageous enough to act (or you could act on the child’s behalf when the child is too young or too terrified to act for itself).

    Finally, you could act in solidarity with the child in yourself. You were a victim as a child and no one acted in solidarity with you. You can learn to listen to yourself while you have your feelings about violent childhood experiences or you can get someone else you trust to listen to you about
    what happened to you. In time, this will make you better able to listen to, and be an ally of, children (even when they tell you about your violence against them).

    If you wish to join the worldwide movement to end all violence, including violence against children, you can sign online ‘The People’s Charter to Create a Nonviolent World’
    http://thepeoplesnonviolencecharter.wordpress.com  It takes courage to tell the truth that no-one wants to hear. It takes fearlessness to act on it.


    Burrowes, has done extensive research since 1966 in an effort to understand why human beings are violent and has been a nonviolent activist since 1981. He can be reached through email:     flametree@riseup.net and website: http://robertjburrowes.wordpress.com

  • ‘Why we cater for children of the poor’

    ‘Why we cater for children of the poor’

    The matron of Victorine Home for Children, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Sister Jovita Nzeduru has said that the desire to contribute to the well-being of humanity inspired the home to provide foster care for children of the poor and the marginalised in the society.

    At a fund-raising dinner organised for children of the homes in Abuja, Sister Nzeduru explained that the aim of the home is to cater for the children till they are re-united with their families.

    According to her, over 15 children who are re-united with their families have benefited from the care of the home on a short stay basis with 12 children currently in the home.

    She said: “We take care of children that are in difficulty in order to give them shelter. We believe that these children deserve the best. Circumstances of their parenthood should not stop them from having the best in life.

    “Our aim is to give them the best and then re-unite them with their families. But some of them who don’t have parents remain with us.

    “Some of these children don’t have fathers. Others are children of inmates in prison. We take care of the children of the mentally challenged who don’t have the capacity of taking care of them.

    “We want to save children from dying of hunger and deprivation by giving them the basic necessities of life. Some of them were a month-old when they came here. Others are a year or more old.

    “We try to establish contact with the families of these children to facilitate their re-union as soon as their situations improve or when they are able to fend for themselves. Because of the temporary nature of their stay therefore, a complete adoption is not possible.

    “Currently, we have 12 resident children while over 15 children with their mothers have benefited from the home on a short-stay basis.

    “Whoever receives one such child in my name, receives me and whoever receives me, receives not me but he who sent me, has found an expression of show of love and affection.”

    Victorine Home for Children is an initiative of the Sisters of Jesus the Redeemer. The home, inaugurated in 2010, has become an oasis for little children without the means of survival to find a new lease of life.

    The home provides shelter for children in difficulty, the marginalised and children of inmates who were delivered of their mothers in prisons.

  • Focus on children with special needs

    Children with special needs are to be given attention in the programme of Ikeja Golden Lions Club in the 2013/2014 service year.

    This indication was given during the investiture of Lion Mercy Aje-Omosun as the 22nd president of the club.

    She stated the mission of the club this year to include raising the club’s standard to an enviable height that will become a brand of reference

    The core project, according to Aje-Omosun, is “the rehabilitation and restoration of the designated classrooms of Bola Memorial School for Children with special needs, Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, Ikeja.

    Earlier, she stressed the need to give attention to children with disability so that they will have a sense of belonging which is important for optimal performance in all endeavours. She defined disability as ‘a physical or mental impairment that has a long term, substantial adverse effect on the ability to perform day-to-day activites”.

    Aje-Omosun promised to provide enabling environment through viable programmes . She praised the efforts of her predecessors, noting they will serve as impetus for her to do more.