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Tag: parents

  • Seven things not to do when meeting your partner’s parents for first time

    Seven things not to do when meeting your partner’s parents for first time

     It is a major step in the relationship and first impression can be a lasting impression, potentially a lot riding on it.

    How you ensure you don’t come off like some mannerless person during this first encounter is important.

    Here are seven things you should not do when meeting your partner’s parents for the first time

    1. Glued to your phone

    Avoid being on your phone, texting, checking your email or browsing social media. Your spouse’s parents might feel dismissed and think that you are not interested in getting to know them.

    2. Lie to make yourself look good

    Being fake instead of who you truly are is a mistake that will upset your partner’s parents. You’re also likely to be found out at some point and possibly when it could really hurt your relationship.

    If your partner has accepted the kind of person you are, then his/ her parents should be able to accept you too.

    3. Publicly display affection

    Although public displays of affection can be a wonderful thing, there is an appropriate time and place for it.

    This does not mean you have to become cold, distant and robotic, but it does mean you need to know the audience you are in front of.

    4. Spark controversial topics for discussion

    Bringing up controversial topics like religion, politics or sex is a no go area.

    Even if you definitely know that your beliefs are in line with your partner’s parents, some people still consider it to be in poor taste to bring it up.

    Better get to know them more before raising such topics.

    Read Also: Parents seek end to discrimination against persons with Down Syndrome, others

    5. Talk only about yourself

    Despite the fact that your partner’s parents are probably very interested in getting to know you, they also do not want to spend the entire time listening to your life story.

    Try to find a balance in the conversation by also asking them questions to show interest in getting to know them as well.

    6. Don’t pass the night

    No matter the persuasion, don’t pass the night in their house on your first day of visit.

    7. Being a know it all

    Even if you are an expert in a certain area, please keep it cool. Don’t let it seem like you know everything better than everyone else.

  • Praise for parents amid hardship

    Praise for parents amid hardship

    • By Ganiyat Mumuni

    The Director of AR-Rahman Montessori Schools, Lagos, AbdulKabir Sulaimon, has praised parents for their relentless support to the school  in the face of economic hardship in the country.

    He spoke  at the school’s 2024 sport fiesta, held at Unilag Sport Complex, Akoka, Lagos.

    He noted the parents’ support and cooperation were outstanding.

    “With the implication of the present state of economy, the support we get from parents whose children attend our school, are very promising notwithstanding everything. We are grateful to receive your co-operation and I’m sure  that today points to the fact that the school is out for excellence.

    Read Also: JAMB warns parents against enrollment of minors

    “The success of any child in life is not limited to the four walls of the classroom.  We do some extra curricular activities and it’s our hope that we add more to the history that we have already maintained in the school community,” he said.

    Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Chairman of the school, Yahaya Bashiru also urged Nigerians to cut down their expenses and focus more on their basic needs, to sustain life, as the economy is not friendly as it ought to.

    Bashiru said the economy isn’t biting hard on only the most vulnerable in the society but also on the average,rich and everybody.

    “The only thing we need, is to cut down our expenses.Feeding consumes more of our expenses. Everybody needs to focus on their basic needs; which are food, transportation and health. These are the most important things to focus on and not parties, social gathering and others,” he said.

    Mrs Kudirat Tiamiyu lauded the school’s vision which aims at achieving excellence in child mentorship and development.

    She said: “My daughter just started last year and they are really trying academically and there is much  improvement, most especially the Arabic education and Western aspect. She reads well at home once she’s back from school.”

    She encouraged the school not to change their mode of operations, nor plan to increase fees as it will affect their vision of offering good quality Arabic and Western education.

    The sporting event featured relay race, hurdles,tug-of-war, passing the balls, sack race, among others.

    Red House came first,  Blue house took second position; while Yellow house and Green house came 3rd and 4th respectively.

  • Parents under pressure over rising fees in private schools

    Parents under pressure over rising fees in private schools

    Parents have lamented the increase in tuition, school certificate examinations, collection of testimonials, results and valedictory services fees in private secondary schools. But proprietors have also defended what necessitated such increment, urging governments to intervene, Assistant Editor Bola Olajuwon reports.

    With a few days to the resumption of schools, this is not the best of time for many parents with fees to pay for their returning children in private and public schools. Apart from the rich, most parents are finding it difficult to pay for the quality education they desire for their children. It’s even worse for those with children in private schools. Before now, parents lived in palpable fear at the beginning of every academic year. But, school proprietors, especially secondary schools, do not wait again till the beginning of new academic year before sending notice of one increment or the other.

    The burden of rising school fees

    In Lagos, especially, parents spend varied sums to educate their children. A parent told The Nation that he spends N2. 4million per year to educate his son in secondary school.

    “I pay N800,000 each term on my son’s school fees. I pay N2. 4million per year. In September, I don’t know what to expect,” the parent, who craved anonymity, said.

    Some secondary schools, it was learnt, bill parents between N1million and N2 million or higher for each term aside the usual increment in feeding and other fees. Ivy League schools’ fees have also skyrocketed.

    Many parents are also lamenting the practice of asking those in terminal classes to pay the total amount of money meant for three terms within two terms. Fees for secondary school certificate examinations, collection of testimonials, results and valedictory service have also increased.

    Many parents who also spoke with The Nation lamented about the development.

    A parent, Mr. Joseph Williams, explained that his blood pressure rises when his children bring notices of any form from their schools.

    “If it is not notification of increase in school fees, it’s about bus fares or development levies.  We used to see private schools as an alternative to the overburdened public education system. But with the inflationary trends, I know the private school private school proprietors are not immune to the economic challenges facing the country and they are often left with no choice but to increase school fees and pass them to parents.

    “While this may be a necessary measure to ensure high standards in the schools, it further worsens the financial burden on parents,” Williams said.

    Another parent, Mrs. Funmi Adedeji, explained: “I’m considering withdrawing my children from private secondary schools. I have nobody to look up to, except God. The steep increase in fees is becoming unbearable for me. I have other things to take of and I cannot devote so much money on school fees alone.’’

    The National Bureau of Statistics’ (NBS) new report highlighted that only 12 per cent of workers are in wage employment and 88 per cent are self-employed. But inadequate infrastructure, power, insecurity, fiscal uncertainty, high interest rates and low purchasing power of the citizens are affecting businesses, leading to a high failing business rate.

    With most parents having to pay for everything to make their businesses afloat, the skyrocketing costs of living have emptied their pockets, especially as a result of Christmas and New Year’s festivities.

    The school proprietors have also argued that countless levies being paid to federal, states and local councils and inflationary trends have led to a rise in the cost of books, learning aids and transport costs for pupils.

    Therefore, school proprietors said it is realistic that there must be increase in school fees due to alleged high cost of running the schools through payment of salaries, multiple taxation by Federal, state and local governments as well as high cost of fuel to power generators. The proprietors alleged that several schools in Lagos State alone have shut down, indicating a tangible consequence of the challenges they faced.

    Parents are, then, left with either to bear the financial strain and continue to invest in their children’s education or withdraw them from private schools to the public schools.

    Read Also: Lagos private schools proprietors’ executives preach unity at swearing in

    The public schools are not immune to increase in fees as seen in the last few years.

    NAPTAN President: the situation is appalling

    The Deputy National President, NAPTAN, Adeolu Ogunbanjo, told The Nation that it’s appalling and unfortunate the way some private universities introduce one fee or the other for parents to pay.

    Ogunbanjo said the practice before in secondary and primary schools were for the concerned educational institutions or authorities to call stakeholders meetings to discuss the necessity for such increase. However, he said parents just wake up hearing of increase in fees like acceptance fees, tuition fees, among others, especially in universities.

    In private secondary and private schools, he said: “Before you can increase fees, you have to hold teachers and parents meetings to make sure you are in agreement with parents on such increase. You must justify the increment. Without that, you can’t just increase fees.”

    On whether he is aware of many levies schools are being asked to pay by Federal, state and local governments, Ogunbanjo said: “Let the school proprietors give us what to engage with governments whether in Lagos State or other states. By the time the executives of the PTA meet the affected state and local governments, we will know what to engage them on.”

    Challenges faced by private schools, by OMEP, NAPPS  chairpersons

    The Chairperson of World organisation for Early Childhood Education in Lagos State (OMEP), Mrs. Bola Falore, spoke with The Nation on a complex set of challenges faced by private schools in the state.

    Highlighting the challenges point-by-point, she said: “Operational costs: Private schools often face high operational costs, including expenses for facilities, staff salaries, educational resources, and maintenance. Without adequate government support or subsidies, these costs become a burden, leading to financial strain.

    “Lack of government support: The absence of financial assistance or subsidies from the government places a heavier burden on private educational institutions. Unlike public schools, which receive funding from the government, private schools rely heavily on tuition fees and may struggle to cover their expenses.

    “Impact on affordability: As operational costs rise, private schools may be compelled to increase tuition fees to sustain their operations.This, in turn, affects the affordability of education for the general populace. Families may find it challenging to meet the rising costs, leading to a potential decline in enrollment of learners.

    “Closure of schools: The closure of several schools in Lagos State alone indicates a tangible consequence of these challenges. If these issues persist, more schools may face financial difficulties, resulting in closures. This not only affects the education sector but also has broader implications for the community, including potential job losses for educators and staff.

    “Future plans: Other schools considering closure in September 2024 suggests a trend that could escalate if the situation continues. Schools may find it unsustainable to operate without necessary financial support and may make the difficult decision to shut down.

    “Government awareness: It is being suggested that the impact on private schools will become evident to the government by September 2024. This emphasises the urgency for policymakers to recognise the challenges faced by private educational institutions and consider policy reevaluation and put in measures to provide support or alleviate some of the financial burdens.

    “In summary, the situation described highlights a precarious state for private education in the region, with potential consequences for both schools and the communities they serve. The need for government’s attention and support is crucial to ensuring the continued existence and accessibility of private education.

    “Private schools play a pivotal role in shaping the educational landscape, providing diverse and quality learning environments. However, the  operational landscape presents formidable challenges that jeopardise the existence of these institutions. The escalating operational costs, exacerbated by the absence of government subsidies, are forcing many private schools to reconsider their viability.”

    National President, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Otunba Yomi Otubela, affirmed that the persistent rise in operating costs for schools poses a considerable challenge for school owners, largely attributable to the high inflation rates and the unstable business environment prevalent in the country.

    Otubela said: “Therefore, it is crucial to recognise that private schools navigate the same tumultuous business conditions and are not immune to the adverse effects of the current economic downturn in the country. I can confirm to you also that many private schools are grappling to maintain viability and stability.

    “Consequently, to weather these challenges and sustain operations amid escalating costs, it becomes imperative for private schools to adjust their charges, particularly in areas directly affected by rising operational expenses.

    “It is noteworthy that the majority of parents are cognisant of these challenges. Private school owners and Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) have actively engaged in discussions concerning adjustments to costs and fees, aiming to mitigate the impact on families. Similarly, private schools are proactively embracing cost-cutting strategies by prioritising activities and projects that directly enhance the learning experience.”

    He added: “NAPPS, as a responsive association, continues to collaborate with relevant government agencies at both state and federal levels.This collaboration is designed to ensure that private schools are well-informed about government policies and programs, with the aim of safeguarding their operations.

    “Additionally, NAPPS has presented requests to address issues such as multiple taxation for private schools.

    “We are also advocating the establishment of an Education Bank, offering school owners access to loans with concessional interest rates.

    “Furthermore, our appeal extends to the inclusion of private schools in government palliative programmes dedicated to workers in the private education sub-sectors. All these will ensure that private schools can operate at minimal costs to provide qualitative learning experiences at affordable costs to parents.”

    Ex-minister urges to pay moreattention on private and govt-owned institutions

    However, a one-time Minister of Education, Prof. Chinwe Obaji,  urged the Federal Government to pay more attention to the activities of some private and government-owned institutions.

    According to her, there is the need for the government to intensity its monitoring, supervision and evaluation efforts in schools across all levels in the country, to achieve quality products.

    She added that such measure, if carried out, would also check the exploitative tendencies often witnessed, especially in most private secondary schools.

     “I think the government must step up efforts in beaming its searchlights in the schools, especially the private-owned secondary schools where some teachers and management rip parents off their hard earned money in the name of carrying out one academic task or the other.

    “Some parents have been coming up with several complaints concerning the outrageous demands made by some of these private schools.

     “The most worrisome of them is the outrageous fees these schools tend to quote for these parents as amount meant for the registration of public examinations such as the Senior School Certificate Examination by National Examinations Council (NECO) and the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) by West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

    “These fees tend to be a far cry from the standard fees fixed by the two examination bodies.

     “In the same vein, such light must also be beamed on some public schools, where it has been discovered that some teachers abandon their line of duties to engage in petty trade or other things.

     “There must seem to be that passion, dedication and discipline on the side of school administrators as well, not just government alone. All hands must be on deck to take the sector to the much-desired height,” the former minister said.

  • 40% IGR deduction: Burden will be passed to parents, colleges of education union warns FG

    40% IGR deduction: Burden will be passed to parents, colleges of education union warns FG

    The Senior Staff Union at the College of Education, Nigeria (SSUCOEN) has rejected the planned implementation of a 40 percent deduction from the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of tertiary institutions.

    The union said the burden would be passed to parents if the federal government goes ahead to implement the policy.

    President of SSUCOEN, Danladi Msheliza said this in a statement on Tuesday, November 14, in Abuja.

    The policy of 40 percent auto-deduction of gross IGR is in line with the Finance Circular with reference number FMFBNP/OTHERS/IGR/CRF/12/2021 dated December 20, 2021.

    The circular limits the annual budgetary expenditure from IGR of the partially funded federal government.

    However, unions in the nation’s tertiary institutions have rejected the policy with many of them threatening to embark on strike.

    Read Also: I don’t regret leaving my family abroad to pursue career in Nigeria – Shaffy Bello

    The statement said: “All the Adjustments in the revenue will now pass unto the parents because students have to be charged the 40% to each subhead as IGR to the government. Otherwise, no College of education in Nigeria can survive.

    “For the record, Colleges of Education do not have anything called IGR. What students pay (as paltry sums) are service charges for student ID cards, hostel maintenance, games, etc.

    “It is unbelievable and mind blogging to note that the federal government wants Colleges of Education that are barely struggling to survive, and whose overhead cannot even pay for diesel or electricity bills, not to talk of students hostels and other logistics, would be asked to remit 40% of what they collect as registration fee from students as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to the federal government coffers to fund political elites’ indulgences.

    “This action, which can be likened to squeezing water out of stone and depositing it into an ocean, is, in our opinion, a deliberate effort by the government to systematically phase out Public Tertiary Educational Institutions in Nigeria just like they did to public Primary and Secondary Schools.”

    The union urged the federal government to reverse the policy of facing industrial unrest in the nation’s colleges of education.

    The statement added: “Government needs to, therefore, reverse with immediate effects, this anti-people policy and, allow the children of the poor to ‘breathe’ and go to school like the children of the elites.

    “If this is not done, Colleges of Education can no longer train teachers for Nigerian Schools. Additionally, the Union may have no option than to down tool and further mobilise students across all Colleges of Education in Nigeria to go to the streets and react to this anti masses policies.”

  • Parents in our frightening new world

    Parents in our frightening new world

    • By Falilat Adetoun Olaoye

    It was 34 years ago during my national service that I first encountered what I hadn’t realised then was an incipient malaise.  A secondary school class 3 student was stalking one of our flat mates. Dude was handsome and taught the girl’s class one of the core courses. We thought it was juvenile infatuation and that she would outgrow it.

    The girl was probably 15; but already a real seductress. For a couple of months, it was a cat and mouse game between the awkward two.

    Friends and flat mates observed discreetly as dude dodged, hid and ran from the teen! He had the self-control and common sense to sustain the resistance, I had assumed. Until I learnt later that he had fallen!

    Those were days before the internet and social media came to take control of our lives. Now we are faced with a social epidemic of enormous proportions.

    Everything under the sun is available on the net and can be accessed with small data. Drugs, attention, fame, no matter how damaging, and oh yes, sex, a variety of it. Pornography is at the fingertips, or at the press of a button and it is consuming our children.

    Questionable characters in entertainment and so-called influencers have become their role models. Pictures and videos of half-clad or totally nude young women are posted on social media to trend and attract traffic. Hugh! And the “contents” are unending, with new innovations arriving daily and the next person bent on outdoing the last.

    And yes, the old are in the game too. Dignitaries openly patronize aphrodisiacs and sex toys shops. Married people are on dating sites, sharing nude videos with friends their children’s mates.

    Hardly a month goes by now without the appearance of a leaked video of a so-called celebrity. My ‘old school’ mind tells me many of these things are connected to drug abuse but I may be wrong.

    We have all heard about Mohbad. The name has been trending globally for weeks on the internet. His story of abuse by the people around him is tragic and the authorities still have to get to the roots.

    However, without the drugs and cultism, which he picked from bad association, his trajectory might have been different. It breaks my heart as a mother to think that with some attention, he could have been pulled out of the morass that consumed him and eventually truncated his life.

    In the perilous new world of this generation where the norm is to conform, only the grace of God keeps children sane. The world, real or virtual, pulls them hard even when parents build around them moral protection.

    Drugs, cultism, and sex have no class or gender. From the lowliest to the mightiest societies, vices bring people together. School children, artisans, professionals and politicians are all involved.

    And they defy age too.

    Three months ago, I was part of a meeting on business investments. We realised that guest houses and hotels now top investments in our cities and towns. A particular middle class estate valued for its serenity now has about 303 hotels and guest houses, many of them deliberately obscure with no signboards.

    Even residential buildings are being converted to brothels because they offer better returns on investment. The patrons stroll in without shame because it is trendy to do so.

    Among those providing “service” at the facilities are secondary school students, some of them kitted in school uniforms with the skirts worn loose and the blouses zipped open to bare their breasts.

    Among their patrons are dignitaries who drive them away in flashy cars.   Our children have lost their innocence and our society is now a moral wasteland!

    Read Also: Teachers, parents, students lament ordeal as rodents take over Rivers school

    And the consequences are all around us.

    Every day, we see scary headlines of heart-rending stories of gruesome murder and fetish killings. Boys murder their girlfriends so they can ‘blow’. Girls are drugged, killed and mutilated by their patrons. A boy killed his father and harvested his organs for money rituals. Teenagers gang-rape neighbours’ children. The stories are endless. All of them connected by drugs and money!

    Some time ago, a young female doctor was nabbed for peddling cake laced with drugs on the internet. In another video that trended recently, a group of girls was rounded up at a party after a fight broke out. Found on the girls were weeds packaged in Milo sachets. Each faced the camera and told her story with big smiles. Weed had robbed them of shame.

    It would now seem that the lord spirituals mount the pulpits in vain. Bloggers who haven’t managed their own lives are the new priests of the internet, giving the world direction. They draw better attention than priests are given at worship centres. The pastor preaches unity in families; the bloggers spread the gospel of division, their own alternative truth. Many marriages are on the brink because of these ones.

    Their followers spread their messages. Videos spread that depict wives as Jezebel and men as Lucifer. No one seems to notice that the family structure is being assailed.

    Do parents even have the power to nurture their children?

    Correcting a misdemeanour is now termed as judgmental. Do not judge! And so we keep mum and watch promising children turn to Yahoo yahoo, drugs and cultism, or lining the streets at night or hooking up in real time on the internet. In some parts it is either banditry or terrorism. Kidnapping for ransom has become a national shame.

    ‘You don’t know their story,’ is a popular refrain.

    The story was told of a 16-year-old girl who told her older sister she was looking to date a yahoo boy.

    But it’s not just about the adolescent.

    Illicit liaisons between married neighbours appear now to be tolerated. Married co-workers fight over married male colleagues. Some would swear that the same is happening in worship centres, and between teachers and their students.

    Motivational speakers say we should live the way they want; one person’s happiness should not depend on another’s.

    And so well-behaved youths are now the butt of jokes. It is no longer trendy to be God-fearing. Children are losing their souls and parents are helpless.

    But you cannot give what you do not have. We have seen young couples giving their toddlers Shisha and liquor – to make them belong early enough.

    Like the preacher who has a duty of redirecting lost sheep, parents must not wait for their wards to fall in the pit just to allow them to make their own mistakes. Parents must reprimand bad behaviour.

    The family system is failing. Each of us must now do what we can to recreate the version of the world that we love.

    Parents must return to the old ways of raising children. It should still take a village to raise a child. Neighbours and teachers should be able to correct children with assurance of the parents’ support. There is nothing we can do about the internet; it has come to stay. But we can give more attention to our children rather than worldly things.

    We must be firm rather than pamper, we must pay close attention to what our adolescent children engage in, who their friends are, what they bring home, what they put on.

    We can raise them to know that strangers should not dictate their lives. That not all that glitters is gold. That the race is not always to the swift. That to be calm and cool headed is not bad. To be respectful is not old school. That God’s way is still the best way.

    • Mrs Olaoye writes from Ilorin, Kwara State.

  • Parents, pupils our pillars, says proprietor

    THE Proprietor, Achievax Base Schools, Ayodeji Omotola, has said the school has been sustained over the years through the support it received from parents and pupils.

    He spoke at the joint schools’ end of year party/graduation held at its premises in Alakuko, Lagos.

    The proprietor, whose speech was read by the school’s Principal, said the school, established in 2008 as Achiever’s Settlement Schools, had grown over the years like an iroko tree beyond his expectation.

    He thanked God for the giant strides made by the schools, the management’s doggedness and its teachers’ tenacity of purpose.

    Omotola said: ”The academic feat so attained is as a result of our seasoned, astute, erudite, hardworking and ebullient teachers with listening ears.”

    He thanked them for being good ambassadors of the schools, which has nursery, primary, and secondary arms, and indirectly acting as their advertisers.

    The founder announced that work was in progress at the school’s permanent site and that soon they would move there.

    On what makes the schools unique, he attributed it to its low fees, tidy environment, and attention to academically challenged pupils, facilities, and teaching standard.

    ”Our motto: ‘Citadel of academic excellence’ speaks volume about the school because our academic, incomparable superb moral quality and upbringing of students, our superlatively social inclination has demarcated us from others.”

    No fewer than 100 pupils graduated at the event, which featured cultural dances, match past, and spelling bees, among others. Prizes were awarded to outstanding pupils.

  • Parents urged to teach children indigenous languages

    Parents have been advised to teach their children and wards native languages and culture in order to protect African culture and values.

    The Vice Chairman of Nawair-Ur-Deen Comprehensive College Governing Board, Alhaji Abdul Quadir Adeniyi Koleosho, offered the advice at the school’s Cultural Day in Idi-Oro, Mushin.

    Alhaji Koleosho said that if children could not speak their native language and know nothing about their culture, African cultural heritage would collapse and go extinct.

    He lamented that majority of blacks have forgotten their backgrounds and embrace the European culture which is leading to the loss of cultural values.

    Read also: Schools to teach Maths, Science subjects in indigenous languages, says Minister

    Alhaji Koleosho stated that the Cultural Day was organized for the school to improve the students’ knowledge of their cultural backgrounds and unite people from different tribes.

    In her remark, the co-ordinator of the Cultural Day programme, Mr Jato Ola-Lawal urged parents to encourage their wards to speak their local languages and educate them about richness of their languages.

    Some of the parents expressed their pleasure at their programme.

    Some of the parents, Mrs. Gbemisola Giwa and Alhaja Aolat Akoshile, expressed gratitude to the staff of the school for the programme.

  • How parents can keep kids from drug abuse, by experts

    Stakeholders in the health sector have urged parents and caregivers to help their children and youths grow to be healthy and keep them from drug abuse.

    They spoke at an event commemorating the 2018 United Nations International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (IDDAIT), with the theme: “Listen First.”

    The programme was organised by the Lagos State Inter-ministerial Drug Abuse Control Committee (LSIDACC), in collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

    Special Adviser to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Primary Health Care Dr. Olufemi Onanuga said drug abuse among youths remained a major threat to national growth.

    He said the problem would require everyone working toward proffering a solution for the eradication of the menace.

    “It is worrisome that lots of lives, especially those of our youths, who constitute the productive age of the population, are being destroyed as a result of indulgence in illicit drugs.

    “Most of the crimes involving teenagers and youths are being carried out under the influence of drugs.

    “According to a 2011 World Drug report, over 210 million people or 4. 8 per cent of the world population use illicit substances yearly.

    “In Nigeria, it is youths that seem to be more involved in these harmful vices.

    “It is, therefore, very important that parents must spend time to inculcate moral values in their children,” Onanuga said.

    Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health Dr. Titilayo Goncalves said the ministry was committed to working with other stakeholders to advance balanced, people-centred and holistic approaches to drug challenges.

    “The recent opioid crisis involving tramadol and codeine, and other urgent drug use problems, compounded by gaps in health and social services, leave far too many people without the help they need, thus leading to illicit drug cultivation and trafficking, related crime and violence.

    “But, as daunting as these challenges are, all of us can play our part and take action-policy makers first and foremost.

    “Concerned citizens, parents, caregivers and engaged young people should play their parts.

    “We can all work together to prevent substance abuse and contribute to the actualisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” Goncalves said.

    LSIDACC Chairman Mrs. Moyosore Adejumo said the government had put in place strategies to curb drug abuse.

    “We need to ensure as parents and caregivers, we listen first; listen to our children, pay attention to what they are saying and what they are not saying.

    “The government has adopted the activities of the committee; we go on advocacy visits to schools and motor parks.

    “There are publications, policies on drug abuse and control medicines,” Adejumo said.

     

  • Help our son to live, say parents

    Mr. and Mrs. Taiwo Akinsanya are in a dilemma. Their four-month-old son, Daniel,  has been diagnosed with a hole in the heart.

    He urgently requires N8 million for a corrective surgery in India.

    A medical report signed by Dr. E. N. Ekure, a Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, described the ailment as transposition of great arteries.

    “The infant requires further cardiovascular evaluation and possible open heart surgery to correct the defects, in order to forestall irreversible and life threatening complications,” the report stated.

    His father told The Nation that they noticed something was wrong two months after Daniel was born.

    Said he: “Daniel was looking pale and too feeble. We went to Massey Hospital on Lagos Island; from there we were referred to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja. When we got there, they didn’t have oxygen. So from there we went to LUTH. It was at LUTH that they diagnosed him with a hole in the heart. They said India is the only option for the surgery. So, we consulted a hospital in India. They gave an estimation of N7million to N8million.”

    Although there is no deadline for the surgery, Akinsanya said he was advised to do it as quickly as possible.

    “LUTH said we have to do the surgery as soon as possible to improve his chances of living. It is a surgery that has to be done quickly,” he added.

    Daniel is on a drug that he takes every two weeks.

    Donations can be sent to Akinsanya Taiwo, First City Monument Bank (FCMB), 3748499016. He can be reached on 08020743430

  • Lagos urges parents, guardians on better parenting

    Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development Mr. Agboola Dabiri has urged parents and guardians to develop good parenting skills.

    He said this would save the world from ills.

    The commissioner, represented by the Special Adviser on Social Development, Mrs. Joyce Onafowokan, spoke yesterday at a one-day town hall meeting on “Better Parenting Plus”, with parents, guardians, school administrators and caregivers.

    The event was held at Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.

    He said parenting is an important aspect of societal growth and development, which has been taken for granted over the years, “as it takes more than just money and love in raising a child properly.”

    Dabiri added that most parents and guardians saw parenting as a natural occurrence and just lived by the day, bringing the children up to the best of their knowledge and ability, thereby abusing and causing permanent emotional damages on them.

    He said: “It is important to note that most forms of societal decadence begin from the values instilled in the children from home, which is a primary function of parenting.

    “There is no perfect parents and each child is unique in his or her own way, but understanding who your child is will help in building them into an independent and emotionally- stable adult, equipped with life skills to face real life challenges.”

    The commissioner said the ministry had just concluded a three-day workshop on “Better Parenting Plus”, using the newly revised curriculum comprising 20 modules and additional session on “Early Childhood Development and Parenting Adolescent” for 25 participants, who would take the message back to their local governments and communities.

    The Permanent Secretary, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola, said: “Better Parenting Plus” is aimed at positive behavioural change towards parenting styles.

    He added that performing parental roles does not have to do with only biological relationship, but with anyone coming in contact with a child.

    “It takes the whole community to raise a child and we should try as much as possible to be our brother’s keeper, notice and do something when any child needs to be given extra care or protection.”

    Muri-Okunola enjoined the participants to pass the message learnt to families, friends, teachers and others in order to help attain better parenting styles in the society.