The Nation Newspaper

Tag: parents

  • With parents like these …

    With parents like these …

    • The Omorieves, and other parents, are no longer moral guides for their children

    Recent reports that a man and his wife were apprehended in the act of writing papers for two of their children in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) are sad reminders of the moral quagmire Nigeria finds itself in.

    The cheating couple, Frederick and Evelyn Omorieve, were arrested while writing papers in a so-called “miracle centre” in Delta State. Their decision to embark on this adventure in mercenary parenting apparently came from the repeated failures of the children in previous examinations; and the fact that several friends and neighbours had gotten away with similar strategies in the past.

    This is the epitome of dysfunctional parenting: the Omorieves were not only unable to keep their children on the right path, they actively steered them down the highway of moral turpitude — and eventual damnation.

    In this regard, they are similar to parents who pay others to write examinations for their children and those who bribe invigilators to look the other way while their offspring engage in atrocious acts of blatant cheating.

    In addition to exemplifying depraved parenting, the Omorieves have also committed a crime, for which they must be punished. Apart from examination malpractice, they should be charged with conspiracy, impersonation and fraud, at the very least, and must answer for these offences.

    The police must ensure that they get their day in court; perhaps if these crimes are treated with the seriousness that they deserve, Nigerians will be less inclined to dismiss them as “minor” issues, in comparison to kidnapping and armed robbery.

    It is difficult to overestimate the extent to which this case reveals the ethical desert that Nigeria has become. This is now a country where a 66-year old retired federal civil servant and his wife feel no shame in perpetrating examination malpractices on behalf of their children, and in fact consider it a worthy act of selflessness on their part.

    If what the Omorieves did was morally reprehensible, more troubling is the fact that existing social attitudes and institutions conspired to make it easier for them to commit their crimes. They were not the first to do it: others had also written examinations for relations with resounding success.

    The country is riddled with a profusion of miracle centres, compromised supervisors and corruptible invigliators who routinely allow the grossest abuses of the examination process to go ahead in return for money. There are the widespread amoral social attitudes which contend that nothing is really bad or unethical if it results in financial and other benefits.

    Fortunately, there are signs that Nigeria has begun to understand the danger of the situation it finds itself in. The most prominent of these signs is the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as president. Campaigning on an anti-corruption platform and bolstered by unimpeachable personal integrity, Buhari has brought more positive perspectives to the way the country is run. In less than four months, he has shown the citizenry that unethical behaviour will no longer be permitted in public office.

    This promising start must be built upon by the Nigerian people. It must be no longer considered acceptable to adopt morally flexible attitudes simply because there is some benefit or advantage to be gained. Ethnic, religious and other primordial interests should no longer determine responses to patently criminal acts.

    It is also time that existing legal sanctions against examination malpractices are properly enforced. Even though there is the Examination Malpractices Act of 1999, as well as the amended WAEC Act, culprits rarely go to jail; few are even put on trial.

    If these laws are fully utilised, cheating in examinations will be seen as a criminal offence that it is, as opposed to an act of parental love that many misguided citizens consider it to be.

    ‘If what the Omorieves did was morally reprehensible, more troubling is the fact that existing social attitudes and institutions conspired to make it easier for them to commit their crimes’

     

  • Help find our children, parents of two missing brothers cry out

    The household of Mr. and Mrs. Moses Odugbo in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State are currently in grief following the mysterious disappearance of their two sons, Daniel and Channing, since the early hours of September 9.

    While 17-years-old Channing is Mr. Moses Odugbo’s elder brother’s son, 19-years-old Daniel is his son and second child.

    After observing their morning devotion on this fateful day, the two young teenagers were sent out on separate errands, but are yet to return.

    During a visit to the Odugbos’ apartment at the Solomade area of Ikorodu, Mrs. Regina Odugbo (Daniel’s mother), who was the only one in the house as at the time of the visit, in an emotion-laden voice, narrated the trauma the family has been going through since the boys went missing.

    According to her, the two teenagers have never slept outside the house except on few occasions when they had to spend the weekends or holidays with some relatives.

    She said: “Daniel was last seen on Wednesday, September 9 after his father asked him to withdraw N5, 000 from the Automated Teller Machine (ATM). After waiting endlessly, his father called him on phone to know what was keeping him. He replied that the GTB’s ATM was not dispensing, so he had to go elsewhere. While still waiting for Daniel, his cousin Channing was asked to get milk from a nearby shop and he also did not show up.”

    She added, “After waiting endlessly for their return, we left the house to search for them. On getting to the shop where Channing was sent to buy milk, the shop owner confirmed seeing Channing, but added that he left with Daniel and headed towards the main road. That was the last thing we heard about them.

    On steps the family has taken so far, Mrs. Odugbo replied, “We have lodged a report at the police station and also reported to the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS). We have uploaded their pictures on facebook and whatsapp and we have gone to different places but up till now, they are still nowhere to be found.

    “Some people are alleging that they were lured away by friends, but my plea is that Nigerians should help me so I can find my two sons wherever they are.”

    When contacted over the phone, Daniel’s father also expressed shock over the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the boys, while appealing to Nigerians to assist the family in finding them.

     

  • Parents petition lawmakers over LASU Law students’ fate

    Parents of Part One Law students of the Lagos State University (LASU) admitted for the 2014/2015 session have petitioned the Lagos State House of Assembly Adhoc-Committee on Education to investigate the legitimacy of their wards as students of the institution.

    7 - PROFESSOR JOHN OLADAPO OBAFUNWA VICE-CHANCELLOR
    PROFESSOR JOHN OLADAPO OBAFUNWA

    The parents met with the committee, headed by Hon. Gbolahan Yishawu, and management of the institution led by the Vice Chancellor, Prof John Obafunwa at the assembly complex last Wednesday.

    The students were admitted into the institution last year.  However, the National Universities Commission (NUC) had de-accredited the Law programme.  But The Nation learnt that the university had made efforts to get the programme re-accredited.

    In the petition titled, “Petition on The Plight of Part 1 (one) Law Students of The Lagos State University” and dated August 17, 2015, the parents alleged that the university placed advertisement for admission into its faculty of law through the JAMB brochure for 2014/2015 session.

    The parents added that prospective students were duly cleared to undertake the course for the 2014/2015 session.

    “Consequently, students were allowed to make mandatory payment of school fees to the university,” they said.

    However, the parents said they were surprised that the students were excluded from the matriculation exercise conducted

    Gbolahan Yishawu
    Gbolahan Yishawu

    by for new students on February 11, 2015.

    The petition, co-signed by Dr Lekan Aderibigbe, Mr Ganiu Alokun and others, sought to know “whether the denial of these students to partake in the matriculation of the new students conducted on Wednesday February 11, 2015 was proper and in order.”

    It continued: “Rather than redeem their promise as contained in their own newsletter and do the needful for these students, LASU authorities continue to treat the Law students (Part 1) with utmost disdain and reckless abandon.

    “Till date, and first semester already gone and eight months after admission, Law students (Part 1) are yet to start receiving/attending lectures.”

    The parents subsequently urged the Assembly to intervene so the students do not suffer loss.

    “Law students (Part 1) should be allowed to resume normal lectures forthwith and allowances made to enable them cover the lost ground. While the University authorities should continue in their effort to have the law faculty accredited. The law students (Part 1) should not be allowed to lose any session as a result of this impasse. The special matriculation as promised by the University should be conducted forthwith,” they stated.

    The parents also appealed to Prof Obafunwa to use his good office to get the programme accredited by the NUC.

    “It is a family affair; we know the VC can handle the situation. We are appealing to the school to do something about it. Let us find a solution to the problem. We are training the children out of our regular jobs,” said Alokun, Secretary of the forum.

    Responding; the VC said he had done his best on the matter and that the parents should not appeal to him as this would make it appear as if he has the power to change the de-accreditation by the NUC, which he inherited on assumption of office.

    “If they are begging me, they are giving the impression that the VC does not care about the case. We have tried to turn around the situation in LASU. I inherited backlog of honoraria and I cleared it. People now pay school fees on line and single treasury account started with LASU in 2012. No lecturer can hold the students to ransom and we took the power to negotiate marks away from the lecturers,” he said.

    Speaking in an interview, Hon. Yishawu said that the committee would find ways to solve the problem.

    “The students were screened and they have paid their school fees. We will report to the House with our recommendations after the whole investigation.

    “The university claimed that the law programme was not accredited due to the crisis in the university, when the accreditation team came calling.

    He said that the NUC has since inspected the facilities at the school, but that the result has not been released, adding that the last time NUC went for accreditation in the university was in 2012 and that the state government has provided facilities for law programmes in the school.

    The committee however adjourned its meeting with the management of the school on the issue to Thursday, September 17, 2015, when the LASU management must have visited the NUC in Abuja on the matter.

     

  • Work with school on careers, parents urged

    Work with school on careers, parents urged

    Principal of Wellspring College, Mrs Oluyemisi Oloriade, has urged parents to cooperate with the school in helping their wards choose career paths.

    During the valedictory service for the class of 2015, Mrs Oloriade said the results of some psychological tests by the school on the pupils to discover their potential were at variance with some parents’ desires for their wards.

    She said the tests, however, proved the school’s counseling department right in guiding pupils to study subjects that would lead them to exploit their areas of strength and urged parents to accept the results.

    This, she explained, would help pupils be more productive as professionals as they would settle into fulfilling careers.

    She said: “Mi-Genius Psychological Test was conducted on our students to enable them discover their potentials early in life. This test is very important as it prevents people from going into studies and careers that they would be struggling to succeed in.

    “Some of the results conformed to the advice and directive given by the counseling department of the school. We appeal to our parents to cooperate with the school in directing these children where they will flow easily academically and ultimately have job satisfaction.”

    Oloriade recalled the school’s success in the 2014 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) – where the school recorded 100 per cent in 14 subjects – including Mathematics and the sciences.

    She counseled the graduands to build on the solid foundation the school had laid for them academically and morally.

    “To you, the outgoing students, I am convinced that you have been adequately nurtured and tutored to go out there and compete favourably with the best of your contemporaries. It is now left to you to live out what you have learnt,” she said.

    Chairman of the occasion, Mr Ayoku Liadi, a Divisional Directorate Head with UBA Plc and the preacher, Dr Tony Alabi, also  advised the graduands.

    Liadi, represented by Mr Lekan Balogun, Corporate Head, UBA Lagos Mainland District, counselled the graduands to be guided by their vision for their lives.

    On his part, Pastor Alabi urged the pupils to connect with God’s favour so that they can enjoy men’s favour as well.

    “God’s favour upon your life is what will take you to heights,” he said.

    Highpoint of the programme was prayer session for the graduands by their parents led by the founder of the school, Mr D.C. Isimoya. In appreciation, the graduands presented their parents with gifts.  The programme also featured prize-giving for pupils, who excelled in all areas of school life. There were special songs and dance presentations.

     

  • Parents seek principal’s probe for alleged corruption

    Parents and guardians of students of the Federal Government College, Efon Alaaye in Ekiti State, have petitioned the Presidency and the Federal Ministry of Education accusing the Principal, Mrs. Grace Ogunyemi, of corruption.

    In their petition, a copy of which was made available to The Nation, they accused Mrs. Ogunyemi of extorting money from their wards through imposition of illegal fees without the knowledge of the ministry.

    The aggrieved parents and guardians in the petition signed by their Chairman, Tolu Ajibade, Secretary Paul Omotayo and 57 others, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to raise a panel to probe the matter to prevent further exploitation.

    They attached a list of their grievances to the petition, including all related circulars regarding fees from the Federal Ministry of Education which Ogunyemi allegedly ran foul of.

    Besides, the principal was also alleged of running the college like her private estate through “declaration of unapproved holidays and resumptions while teachers and non-teaching staff were isolated from the running of the school,“ the petition further added.

    They accused Ogunyemi of running the college like a typical private school because of the exorbitant fees charged, thereby making life difficult for poor parents who had thought a federal school would give them some succour.

    The petition reads in part: “We have since found out that the principal was merely acting alone as such fees were never approved by the ministry.

    “We also have in our custody, a recent circular from the Federal Ministry, signed by the Director, Department of Secondary Education, Mr. D.C. Uwaezuoke and dated June 23, 2015 stating details of approved fees payable by students, but which the principal has continually ignored.

    “We want Mr. President and the ministry to act fast so that his good vision of transforming the education sector and making it affordable and accessible is not truncated by the activities of elements such as the principal of our children’s school,” the parents said.

    According to them, the Federal Government must ensure that an external auditor was also sent to the school while the principal must be made to refund illegal fee so far collected from parents and pupils to avoid crisis.

    The parents threatened to embark on street protests as well as disrupt students’ resumption if no action is taken to address their grievances before resumption.

    Reacting to the allegations against her, Mrs Ogunyemi said she should be appreciated for what she called “the great work” she had done at the college. In a telephone chat with our reporter, she said: “You know I am a civil servant. I am not supposed to talk on this matter, but you can come over to the school when we resume and see what God has done through me in that school.

    “You are entitled to your opinion and I am entitled to my opinion. In whatever you do, don’t let other people use you to bring down somebody else.

    “I am at present in Abuja. I am not in Efon now, but you can visit the school and see what I have done.’’ Federal Government Girls College, Efon came first in the Southwest region in Mathematics and you can verify what we have achieved since we came in.

    “Those doing this are pursuing some interests; the mischief of human beings cannot stop the work of God,” Mrs Ogunyemi added.

     

  • 55 parents pick 142 kids from Edo IDPs’ camp

    55 parents pick 142 kids from Edo IDPs’ camp

    Fifty-five parents yesterday identified and picked their 142 children from the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp at Uhogua, Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State.

    The camp is being run by the International Christian Mission under Pastor Solomon Folorunsho.

    Six of the parents only came to see their children and were not going back with them.

    Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who hosted the families and their children to a dinner at the Edo Government House, said the Red Cross reunited the children with their parents.

    Oshiomhole said the state was not rejecting them, adding that the children were happy to return to their families.

    The governor assured that President Muhammadu Buhari would flush out Boko Haram in the Northeast.

    He said noting could be compared to the warmth of living with one’s family.

    Oshiomhole advised then IDPs to be free to live in any part of the country as a Nigerian and that the state government was prepared to make their stay comfortable.

    Oshiomhole said the other 800 IDPs at the camp would be given necessary education and facilities.

    Nahata Ayuba, who was at the camp for his four children, said he lives in Nasarawa State with his wife.

    The elated father said he was farming in his new location in Nasarawa State.

    He promised to return his children to the camp so that they could continue their education.

    Amos Azawarha, 50, a farmer in Abuja, said he wanted his family to be together.

    A woman, who identified herself aimply as Mrs. Daniel, said her husband was killed by Boko Haram insurgents.

    The woman said she lived in Abuja with her brother, adding that she would leave with two of her children while three others would remain at the camp.

    Pastor Folorunsho said he was happy that the state government reunited some of the affected families.

  • Parents lift community with household materials

    Parents lift community with household materials

    Ajomo Community, Ketu, Lagos State bubbled with activities last week as   parents of the pupils of Explorer Montessori School, Opebi,donated many materials to the community. The parents, under the auspices Sow a Smile Charity Committee, donated educational, household materials, and food stuff to the children and parents of the community. They also gave health and educational counsels to them.

    Chairman of the community, Chief Adesina Adekoya expressed his gratitude to the school’s act of kindness and called on other members of the society to assist them in their difficulties.

    Dressed in their party attires, more than 80 children were lecturered on the dangers of smoking, alcoholism  and other health endangering habits as well as advised to complete their education diligently to fulfill their dreams.

    One of the recipients, 10-year -old Kemute Obugara, who attends Idera school told The Nation about his excitement to have the received a school bag with educational materials inside it.

    He said: “I am happy about this. Now I can change my old bag and use this one. I want more people from the society to do this for us, because it is not everybody that can afford the same things in life.”

    Parents were not left out of the event as they received lectures on how to multiply their income and tame unruly children. They were also presented with mosquito nets, beverage and foodstuffs.

    Mrs Rebecca Luka, was grateful and called on government to help the community by providing free education.

    “It is not easy for us as ordinary traders to be feeding our children, sending them to school and take care of ourselves, so we would love the government to help us. We want government to at least give us free education. This act of kindness by this group has gone a long way to lift some of our worries. Now I can be sure my children are safe from mosquitoes with this mosquito net,” she said.

    The community secretary, Mr Martins Donor, was happy and advised the members of the community to be cooperative and help one another.

    Founder of the school, Yemi Salako, said: “Our aim is just to sow a seed that would bring a smile to the faces of children in our society. We encountered a whole lot of challenges. The major one was how to raise the funds. Up until three, four days ago, we were not even sure if we would have enough money. But in the last two days, we were overwhelmingly supported by parents and friends of the school.”

    Some of the parents, Mrs Toyin Ogunsanya, Dr Nancy Umoren, Mrs Morayo Kolapo, Mrs Ifaturoti Oluwaronke spoke about their inspiration to be part of such an expedition: “If you have seen both lives, you would understand that wherever you are and whatever you are, thank God for it. It is not easy seeing people that have not even been able to eat in a day, not to talk of having two square meals. Just feeling a pinch of what they feel everyday would make you want to do more. We have been able to source for funds and God helped us make an impact on them. You do not need to save everyone, but if you are able to touch the life of just one person, that person can touch someone else and gradually, we would touch everyone.”

     

  • Parents advised against isolating cerebral palsy kids

    Parents advised against isolating cerebral palsy kids

    Parents have been advised to treat children born with cerebral palsy (CP),  a brain problem causing inability to control muscles, with love.

    Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Benola cerebral palsy initiative, AVM Femi Gbadebo, gave the advice at a national cerebral palsy programme in Lagos.

    He said children living with this condition are just like any kid, and as such, should be  showed care.

    He said CP is caused by a problem in the brain, adding that it has no known cure yet.

    Gbadebo said people have very little understanding of the condition, saying that it is often misconceived.

    “Our understanding of CP was from our son, Olaoluwa” he added

    He lamented that some parents have been withdrawing their children from school because of their disability. Moreover, isolating a child with CP would not help matters but worsen it.”

    CP, he said, affects people in  different ways. “Some are blind and cannot talk while other talk and see. Our son falls in the category of those that cannot talk and see but he always smiles.”

    A consultant clinical psychologist at the Department of Psychology, University of Lagos, Dr Charles Umeh, said CP is a non-progressive neuro-developmental condition initiated early in life but persists into adulthood.

    Besides this, it could lead to loss or impairment of motor functions.

    Many scientists, Umeh said, are now making research on how CP patients can age gracefully.

    “People’s misconception is that those living with CP would not get old but the situation is different now as they live like anybody else,” he said.

    The senior lecturer said people with CP are weary of their future because they are not shown love.

    He said: “Their fear for the future is so much. When you relate with them they are not often seen to talk about the future.”

    He spoke of children with CP, especially one to five months old, not  being able to move their heads and always have trembling legs.

    “When they are between 10 to 36 months, they would not be able to sit or stand without help. They often have early-onset arthritis and increase pain,” he said.

    Others are physical problems, such as difficulty in walking, dental health challenges.

    There is also long-term effects of  drugs use, he added.

    His words: “People are not looking at them as people who have sexual needs. They cannot even express themselves so they resign to fate as if this world is not for them.”

    Most CP children, he said, have low self esteem, so they reject compliment thinking they are mocked.

    “They feel insecure and inadequate often’’

    Umeh urged parents not to isolate their children due to any disability because the only way to learn new things is by mingling with peers.

    “When they are restricted from social lives, they begin to get tired of life,” he added.

    Chief medical social worker, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Titi Tade said: “One billion people live with disabilities (15 per cent of world population) out of which 17 million have CP in the globe.

    “Zero to three years is the best time to teach a child. Once missed, it is difficult to catch up. Instead of doing this, most parents are busy looking for cure and they lose this period.”

    She said those with CP have needs and wants that are largely ignored because of religion, ignorance, culture and unwillingness to accept diagnosis.

    Tade, who spoke on Coping with the complexities of ageing, said nobody is without disability.

  • WAEC warns schools, parents against malpractice

    WAEC warns schools, parents against malpractice

    National Head of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Nigeria, Charles Eguridu, has issued a warning against parents and schools that engage in organised malpractice, saying they would be caught and dealt with.

    He gave the warning at a WAEC road show on examination malpractice sensitisation, at Excellence Hotel, Ogba, Lagos.

    Eguridu said parents and schools that engage in mass cheating are liable to dire consequences, including persecution by the state.

    To this end, he said WAEC had employed greater measures in combating malpractice, some of which are biometric technology, which identifies each candidate by fingerprint, encrypted method of storing examination questions, such that they cannot be accessed by unauthorised personnel as well as  impromptu inspection of examination centres while exams are ongoing.

    The WAEC boss decried the increasing wave of examination malpractice in Nigeria over the last four years.

    According to WAEC statistics, in 2011, 4.65 per cent of the total candidates that sat for WAEC engaged in malpractice; in 2012, it increased to 7.15 per cent, jumped to 7.75 per cent in 2013 and last year, 8.39 per cent of the 1, 692, 037 candidates who sat for the examinations were found culpable of examination fraud.

    Eguridu said an increasing statistics of malpractice would create a stain on the integrity of WAEC certificate in the international realm, engender mediocres in a society where perpetrators are not prosecuted and undermines the nation’s education system, making it difficult for education policies to be monitored.

    He said: “As a people, our shared and most cherished values appear to rest on the platform of hypocrisy, because what we witness in our private world is in contrast to our values. Those who rig elections are not children, they are parents. When electoral officers falsify election results and we expect something different from children, that is hypocrisy. The present trend of examination malpractice among our youths is a negative symptom of the endemic corruption in our society. An attempt to curb examination malpractice without first addressing the general scourge of society would be meaningless.”

    He appealed to candidates to avoid situations that could implicate them in the examination hall, so that their future would not be jeopardised.

    “I appeal to you as leaders of tomorrow, your tomorrow lies in your hands. As up and coming generation, please take a decision to be different. Don’t join the rat race in examination malpractice, because even if you win the race, you remain a rat. WAEC does not fail anybody. Whether you pass or fail, the choice lies with you”, he said.

  • Parents urged to support wards

    Parents urged to support wards

    Parents have been advised to pay more attention to their wards’ creativity as this will help them explore more their creative abilities.

    Addressing parents at the musical concert and prize-giving day of Mind Builders School, Ikeja, the Chairman, Mr Tim Akano, dwelled on the benefits of achieving greatness at an early age.

    He underscored the importance of parents placing more emphasis on their children’s ability at a very tender age and helping them nurture same so that by the time they are teenagers, they would have gotten ideas of what their lives’ fulfillment entail.

    Akano identified some global icons such as the world’s richest man, Bill Gates who started early enough. He is optimistic that Nigerian children can achieve same only if they are fully supported by both their parents and school. The earlier a child starts developing a passion to be creative, it gives him a better chance to attain a reasonable height at a very young age, he noted.

    “Parents,” he said, “we need to concentrate more on their ability. We need to find out the truth and observe some attitudes in them. As young as they are, we need to help them nurture those skills so that by the time they are of 20 years, they can create something, “he advised.

    The pupils thrilled their parents with drama, renditions, and choreography, among others.

    The best graduating pupil, Akadiri Oluwanimisokan expressed his happiness for making his parents proud. Oluwanimisokan, whose dream is to be a Petroleum Engineer, was one of the two pupils who received scholarship by Mr Tim to study Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Coding at the New Horizon Summer ICT Academy.

    The best pupil in Primary Five, Abiola Komolafe and best behaved, Chinonso Amechi in Primary Four received tablets. The tablet, according to Tim, would equip them with ICT skills even at tender age. He pledged to henceforth award outstanding pupils in moral and academic performance.

    Mind Builder’s Education Director, Mrs Bola Falore, who spoke on “Unity in diversity”, the theme of the graduation, said there was a need to awaken the spirit of togetherness in the minds of the young scholars.

    “Nigeria offers a grand example of how diverse people can come together to build a great nation. We must find a way to reconcile our ever shrinking world with its ever growing diversity. In short, we must find a way to live together as one human family drawing inspiration from our national anthem” she said.

    Falore advised the graduands to utilise what they had learnt and remain good ambassadors of their alma mater. She thanked parents for their constructive criticism as well as workers for their collaborative efforts.