DEAR parents of my darling, precious, glorious, dignified, world-famous and heavenly celebrated Nigerian sisters,
If you want to damage your children emotionally, compare them unfavourably with other children! It’s such a cruel way to deal with your children even when you probably don’t mean to in a bid to ginger them up academically or in other endeavours! Only a few of today’s youth would get over it easily and take it as a challenge to overtake whoever you’re comparing them with! Also, some parents do this excessively even when it isn’t necessary. As I mentioned two weeks ago, some parents are not intentional about their parenting and fail to see their children’s challenges which are no fault of theirs and also cannot recognize their sterling qualities and work on these areas. THIS IS SO SHAMEFUL! And in fact wicked! The other day, a young lady wrote this on Instagram:
“I’m literally sick and tired of coming home every time to witness the mental torture my parents put my brother through because he’s written UTME twice and didn’t get admitted. I can’t wait to start working and get an apartment of mine so I can move in with my young man and help him escape all this rubbish! This was a boy that grew up with ADHD without a support system to back him up. Took him going to a boarding school to gain some balance and assert himself. He was unbelievably top of his class. And every now and then he suffers reproof and public shaming because he never seems to be enough.
He’s literally become a shadow of himself. No friends, no social life, nothing. Imagine constantly being reminded that you’re a useless first son because you repeated three classes and your younger sister have caught up with you. Or being compared to your peers who are ahead of you every single day. I lost 16kg in less than a year because of this. Went from 79 to 63kg because I had to spend one more depressing year at home feeling like a failure because I wasn’t admitted into the university. As I look at my brother daily, all I see is a young man struggling so hard to get out of a sunken place. He told me the only time he’s truly happy is when I’m around!
How much do you have to hate your home for you to not want to be there? I honestly don’t know who it was that added insulting comparisons, mental/verbal abuse and degradation to the list of parenting skills. I don’t understand why you need to walk the path of torturing your own child in order to pass a message! We’re always very quick to eulogize our parents, which isn’t a bad thing. But we should also be swift to admit when they get things entirely wrong. A lot of us are going to re-enact the bad parenting we experienced in the hands of our parents to our own kids because we saw nothing wrong in It!”
You can just imagine the deep-seated disappointment and bitterness this young lady has towards her parents for her to have vented out and written this and gotten the attention of instablog naija – one of the most popular Instagram handles in Nigeria! How my heart goes to the young man who must be wishing a lot of times that he was never born. However, I thank God he has a strong sister who can see him through becoming the world’s greatest! I also feel really terrible that this young lady is at the risk of falling in love with the wrong person because she needs a lot of fawning over to heal her aching soul. If she spends more time in her boyfriend’s home, getting into all manner of expression of love- giving her body, mind and soul to a man so she can forget her cold, loveless and heartless home, I’d be the first to blame her for engaging in premarital sex(if she did)! Yet, she and her brother are being brutally tossed into the wilderness of life!
A lot of mothers who slipped and fell into the wrong marriages because they got pregnant or who just found themselves as single mothers and had their dreams scuttled would rather slut-shame their girls when they see guys around them. They start too late in ensuring they don’t follow their pattern, I dare say all they’re left with is a damage control! What a reckless way of life! You can instil all the world’s discipline in your children and treat them as though they’re your heart-beat! You can still drive all the fear you want to drive into them while at this. It would go a long way in determining what would become of your daughter, how she would handle her relationship with guys, the type of man she would end up with and the type of children she would raise in future. May you have peace over your children in your old age!
Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday hosted the kid hyperrealist artist, Waris Olamilekan Kareem, who drew the portrait of French President Emmanuel Macron in two hours during his visit to the country. He drew Macron’s portrait at the Afrika Shirine in Ikeja, Lagos, on July 4.
The 11-year-old artist came with his parents, teachers and instructor. The governor promised to give him educational support and also help to make him a great artist.
Ambode also promised to support Kareem’s instructor, Adeniyi Adewole Wasiu, who has an Arts Academy, Ayowole Academy of Arts.
Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture Steve Ayorinde said the governor’s gesture was to encourage the kid.
Ayorinde said: “You would recall that Kareem was one of the star attractions during President Macron’s visit to Afrika Shrine. Before painting the President and presenting the portrait to him, Kareem had become a household name thanks to the special story done by a media house.
“So, the governor has invited him and his parents to come and meet him and because the governor is interested in his education and if you like the welfare of his parents, His Excellency has promised to assist just like he did to the Footprint of David boys who had a special performance at the State House during the Children’s Day.
“So, the governor is interested in his school. We are happy that Kareem is a product of a public school and you could see that the Principal of his school is here and she is happy. The governor has also acknowledged the contribution of Kareem’s mentor, Adewole who is here and because he also has an Arts Academy that inspired and produced Kareem, the governor thinks that, that Arts Academy should flourish and he is going to also support him, his career and what he is doing.”
The commissioner said the government would ensure Kareem got good education and training.
“The Ministry of education has been involved from day one since the story was reported but our Ministry (Tourism, Arts and Culture) would also be monitoring Kareem. He is already in JSS1; he is talented as an artist but then that is not the only subject that he would be taking.
“We want him to be a successful well-rounded student first and foremost and of course as an artist. It is a long haul thing but first good education and let him continue as a good artist,” Ayorinde said.
Kareem said the development was a life-changing moment for him, adding that he was thrilled to meet with President Macron and Governor Ambode.
“I am very happy and excited. I thank Governor Ambode for this opportunity. Now, I want to study my arts very well; I want to be a good artist, great artist in the world,” Kareem said.
His father, Mutiu Kareem, said his son’s feat was a turning point in their lives.
He said: “I thank God for this. What has happened in my life through my son is something I never thought would happen to me but this is a miracle. I am so happy. I want to thank Governor Ambode for all he has done for us and also my son’s instructor who trained him, as well as his teachers and mother.”
Parents and family members of the two teenage girls that were raped by five suspects have raised an alarm over the whereabouts of the girls two days to the adjournment date.
It would be recalled that five suspects, Bode Akinsiku, Olabanji Femi, Abiodun Ayodele, Fadairo Wahab, and Adedayo Adebayo, were alleged to have lured the two teenagers to the house of one of the suspects located at Kogbona street in the town where they were raped.
The suspects after allegedly had the carnal knowledge of the victims stripped them naked, torture,videotaped them and later posted the same video on the
social media.
Though, the five suspects, were arrested by the police and they were subsequently arraigned before a Chief Magistrate court in the town where they were remanded in prison custody.
One of the mother of the girls, Mrs. Veronica Glory, said the whereabouts of her daughter had been shrouded in secrecy since the beginning of the case.
She expressed the belief that her daughter was in the police custody.
According to her”The whereabouts of my daughter is sketchy and unknown to me, I would have raised the alarm since all these days, but my belief was that my daughter and her friend were save, but not until yesterday when an information came to me at the market that my daughter and her friend have been allegedly
taking to unknown destination by the family of the suspect apparently to frustrate the proceeding of the case.
Mrs. Glory called on the public spirited individuals, religious organisations, human rights activists as well as the Nigeria Police to wade into the matter and locate the whereabouts of her daughter,to guard against any attempt to frustrate the case.
Similarly, the mother of the second teenage girl,Mrs Margaret Idowu, also raised the alarm and explained that the whereabouts of her own daughter was unknown.
She explained that since the alleged video was showed to her, she has been in distress, noting that the video apart from being abuse of human rights,will also affect the future of the victims.
Mrs Idowu said”I have not seen my daughter since the beginning of the matter,I was told that the police have taken them to Akure for safety , but an
information came to us yesterday afternoon that my daughter and the other girl has been allegedly taken to an unknown destination by the family of the victims”.
She called on the police to intensify efforts and ensure that the girls were provided on the day of the case, saying the move would ensure that the case does not swept under the carpet.
Mrs. Glory equally threatened to organise women to protest against the whereabouts of the two teenage girls, if they were not present in the court on the day of the next adjournment.
Also speaking , an Ondo based human right activist, Otunba Muyideen Olamoyegun, said the disappearance of the two teenagers was a deliberate actions to frustrate the case in court.
The right activist threatened to sue the authority of Nigeria Police, if the victims failed to show up at the court.
According to him,he would employ the services of legal practitioners to prosecute the police on the matter.
Wife of the President Hajia Aisha Buhari, has urged parents to inculcate the virtues of integrity and morality in their children to enable them grow up to be responsible citizens.
She spoke at the weekend through a nessage sent to the sixth Annual Integrity Award organised by the National Association of Christian Journalists (NAFJ) in Lagos.
At the event tagged Integrity is Everything, Mrs Buhari was given an award as the Integrity Woman of the Year.
She described children as parents’ greatest gift from God whose future depended on the upbringing, guidance and support system given to them by their parents.
She noted that parents must be alive to their responsibility of showing the pathway that would make their children lead a better life, adding that inculcating the virtues of honesty, love, truth and integrity into children was the way to go.
Mrs Buhari, who was represented by Mrs Mercy Paul said: It is very difficult to practice integrity in Nigeria. I have been fighting a lot of battle because of my stand on integrity. I am not deterred. I will remain a woman of integrity”, she said, adding: “Integrity is a virtue that comes from within. If you are brought up as a honest person, nothing in life can make you steal. If you have a mindset and you uphold integrity as a virtue, no matter the temptation around you, nothing will make you to change”, she said.
A former Assistant Inspector General of Police Tunde Ogunsakin, called on Nigerian leaders to exhibit high standard of strength and sacrifice of good conscience to fight the common enemy of want, deceit, and poverty which are common enemies of common man, the bonds of mass poverty and mystery which permeates our entire society.
Ogunsakin said “our problems are rather too complex for a quick fix to solve the myriad of problems besieging us as a nation, it requires sacrifice from our leaders”.
Secretary General NACJ Charles Okhai, said the award was organised to recognise persons who had exhibited verifiable moral standard across sectors of our national life.
Among the awardees are Katsina State Governor Aminu Bello Masari, Imo State Deputy Governor Eze Madumere, former Abia State Governor Orji Uzor Kalu, Senator Ben Murray Bruce, Chief Judge of Lagos State Justice Opeyemi Oke, Chairman of JAFAC Groups of Companies, Felix Idiga
Given their penchant for choosing native names with quintessential meaning for their children, one would be forgiven to vouch for the cultural identity consciousness of Nigerian parents. This is because most given names across the various tribes of Nigeria tells a story. However, the essence of the identity consciousness pales the moment one realizes that a four -year-old born in the south western part of Nigeria, who has been named Oluwafirewamiri (God has located me with favour), cannot hold a conversation in a mother tongue but English.
There is a growing trend in Nigeria where parents shy away from speaking their native languages to children while adopting English as a means of communication. The tendency is fueled by the belief that English, as the world’s foremost language of wider communication and opportunity, signifies upward mobility and class. However, research suggests that putting a cap on the number of languages a child is exposed to is a disservice, as such children are denied the ability to acquire language skills which can be beneficial to both local and global communities.
A language expert, Ignatius Usar, told The Nation that the child language acquisition theory clearly explains that children are born with a capacity to learn various languages while growing up, since their minds is a tabula rasa–plain slate.
“It is as a child grows that experiences, including languages, are written on that slate. That is why a child has capacity for many languages than adults”, he said.
Describing the decision of parents who neglect communicating with their children in the mother tongue as poor judgement, Usar also lamented the fact virtually all indigenous Nigerian languages are threatened since parents are not interested in the generational transfer of language as part of the cultural identity.
Agreeing that intermarriages could be a reason why some parents insists on their wards speaking English, he also conceded to the fact the acceptability of indigenous languages for early childhood education has not been helped by the apparent lack of a language policy by the Nigerian government.
“Nigeria’s language policy is geared towards English and to make matters worse, we are
promoting French and Arabic. When we do that as a matter of policy, we are keeping our languages down and promoting other languages. For instance, we have a Nigerian French language village in Badagry, then we have another one for Arabic somewhere in the North, but we do not have a centre for the study of any Nigerian language,” the linguist lamented.
The low acceptance of indigenous language as a medium of instructions for childhood development is a global problem not limited Nigeria. As English continues to gain preeminence as a global language, some countries around the world come up with deliberate language policy to ensure their indigenous languages do not go into extinction. change of status quo. However, that is not the case in Nigeria where English has continued to gain more grounds, to the extent that many parents, both literate and illiterate, invest time and money in ensuring their children learn to speak English, even though scientific evidence suggests that children who first learn to read and write in their native languages learn all subjects faster.
Nigeria’s national policy on education, initiated in the 80’s, also recognized this and there was a resolution that early childhood education should be taught in a child’s mother tongue or language of the immediate environment. Till date, the resolution has been a policy in paper that has not seen the light of the day. One of the major hindrance to the policy is that except in remote areas, many teachers do not speak the language of the immediate community since Nigeria has over 400 languages. Another practical consideration is that text books and instructional materials are written in English. Majority of the indigenous languages are not codified; hence they are not available in written documents.
Despite these challenges, Usar believes that progress can still be made if there are deliberate attempt to ensure that indigenous languages are preserved.
“Language is a living thing. It is born, it grows, and it dies. If you want to keep a language alive, what we suggest is that you codify by ensuring there is a literature for it that can be transferred from one generation to another. This is the area where Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo, the three major indigenous languages edges out other languages”, Usar submitted.
The Craze for British and American Accent
The apathy for indigenous languages amongst Nigerian parents is not only restricted to the preference for English as language of communication. It’s also extended to the point that parents want their children to speak in British and American accent.
Ayanfeoluwa Lawal, a diction and elocution coach, has created a niche for herself in the business of teaching people how to speak well. What confounds her, however, is the encounter of parents and school owners who approach her to teach their children the British accent. “We are in a generation of parents who want their children to sound differently. It’s a misplaced priority and I’m so against acquiring a foreign accent when it’s not coming to you naturally because the best you can be is fake. This is the in-thing in schools right now”, she said.
Lawal also offered that the in-thing amongst elite schools in developed cities around the country is that children are taught to speak in British accent, on parents and school owner’s insistence.
“The focus should be on the proper enunciation and articulation of words. It is sounding your words accurately. What should be emphasized is social intelligibility, which is the ability to be heard anywhere in the world. Nobody cares about your accent when you are eloquent because nobody expects you to have a British accent when you are not a Briton.
“The thing with parents is ignorance and social pressure, so a parent sees a child speaking differently and they also want to transfer that to their children. When I teach children elocution, I start from the science of elocution so that they can understand how sounds work and come together to make words and also how they have to produce the sounds in a particular way.”
Ms Lawal, who manages Quints, a foremost communication and social polish organization in Lagos, said she has encountered situations where parents literary caution their children from speaking their mother tongue in public. Lawal, who never spoke English at home while growing up, said even illiterate parents want their children to speak English in the public so that they can feel important.
“I have a full mastery of my indigenous language, yet I speak English better than those who have spoken it all their lives. First, it’s a thing of the mind because we feel our language is inferior; we feel it’s vernacular; it’s not good enough so we feel that English language is better. I am an advocate of people speaking impeccable English but not at the expense of their local language. If you speak English language so well and you cannot speak your local language, you have lost your identity. One should not affect the other”, she submitted.
Whither a comprehensive National Language Policy?
Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba have long been regarded as Nigeria’s major languages. However, English remains the sole official language in almost all spheres of national activities.
Segun Awonusi
Scholars like Segun Awonusi of the University of Lagos suggested that language policies that favour indigenous identity should be implemented on a sustainable basis. Another linguist, Emmanuel Emenanjo, also declared that Nigeria does not have a language policy but a document that could be called a statement of intention of what a language policy could be.
Since his appointment as the chairman of the National Technical Committee on language policy in Nigeria on 10th of April 2018, Adeniyi Harrison, a professor of Linguistics and African languages at the Lagos State University, carried a weight of high expectations. Harrison who is also the president of the Linguistics Association of Nigeria wants the Lagos State Language Policy which mandates all schools to teach Yoruba in Lagos, replicated in other parts of the country.
He said the Linguistic Association of Nigeria has been advocating that parents, irrespective of the linguistic environment, should teach their children at a tender age to read and write in their various indigenous languages.
“Except from the fact that some give their languages social status, there are some languages in Europe whose speakers are not as populated as speakers of Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo, but for their social status in the society, these languages are enforced on us. Indigenous languages are embodiment of the cultural repository of knowledge. When the languages are not spoken, the language die and the identities are lost,” he said.
Prof Harrison said when children continue to bear English and biblical names, it does not allow for information on the family background, especially in the African context where people’s names are stories of the family.
“If the person does not bear the name, how do people trace one’s family?”, he asked, adding that same goes for food where there could be a loss of identity and economic opportunities when there is a neglect of local delicacies.
“The more languages a person is able to speak, the more the horizon widens. We are advocating for a multi-lingual society where Nigerians learn each other’s language in order to ensure national unity and cohesion”, Harrison submitted.
Parents at a stakeholders’ meeting held yesterday to discuss the new fee regime introduced by the University of Ibadan (UI), rejected the N30,000 hostel fee proposal.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the management called the meeting over what it called “slight increment’’ for halls of residence and Alexander Hall for students of the College of Medicine.
The Senate recommended a hike in hostel fee from N14, 000 to N30,000 for students on the main campus and N40,000 for those in College of Medicine, effective from 2017/2018 session.
The institution said it spent about N100 million every year to provide accommodation, noting that this was no longer sustainable.
The parents said while they did not object to increment due to economic realities, the proposal by the institution was unacceptable.
Mr. Fashina Olusegun, a parent, said while upgrading facilities, as being canvassed by the institution, was good, the new fee regime was high.
Messrs. Robert Obiora, Ayo Akinyemi and Michael Odunrounmbi agreed that while tertiary education was being underfunded, the university management must ensure that its fees were affordable.
Students, in a peaceful protest at the hall, asked the management to reconsider its recommendations.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, had said the institution “is at a point where it is difficult to continue to subsidise the running of the halls of residence and carry out some academic functions.’’
“This cannot be feasible without a slight adjustment in accommodation charges and in some fees payable by students in some faculties,’’ he said.
Olayinka said only increase in accommodation fee affected students, who desired to stay in halls of residence, adding: “Residency in the halls is optional.’’
He said only 8, 222 bed spaces were available for the over 27,000 students, adding that the university was not fully residential.
“The hostel is for first and final year students,” the VC said.
Prof. Omoniyi Adewoye, a former vice chancellor and chairman of the forum, said university education could not be free if there was to be a turnaround in the education sector.
He urged parents to analyse the situation, to appreciate justification for the increment.
THE lawmaker representing Alimosho Constituency 1 at the Lagos State House of Assembly, Bisi Yusuf, has urged parents to invest in their children’s education.
Yusuf gave the advice while addressing over 300 youths in Alimosho for whom he bought the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) forms for and assisted them in preparing for the exam.
Although his constituency covers only four of the six wards in Alimosho, the lawmaker extended the gesture to all the wards comprising Ipaja Ayobo, Mosan Okunola, Egbe/Idimu, Igando/Ikotun and Agbado Oke Odo LCDAs), which make up the entire Alimosho Federal Constituency.
The lawmaker told parents that giving their children sound education was for their own good.
“Education of the children is insurance for the parents and for old age,” he said.
“Education is highly important, because it is an instrument for development. Without education you are nothing and if you have education you have the world in your pocket, whatever you want to achieve in life, education is first, it is a pathfinder without which you cannot find the path to your target,” said Yusuf, Chairman of House Committee on Public Account (local).
He said but for the education his parents gave him, he would have been a nuisance to the society.
“So, I should also extend the same gesture to others, this time not only my biological children but all those in my constituency and Nigeria because where I am is a privilege.
“I know my people, I live with them. I know their problems and their needs. I am also experiencing the difficulties that are being experienced everyday. I know that some of the parents cannot even afford to buy JAMB pins. I organised tutorial and CBT for them and whenever they gain admission. I also give them little pocket money,” Yusuf said.
One of the beneficiaries, Kabilat Olabisi, who said she finished secondary school in 2015, thanked Yusuf for the gesture which has renewed her hopes to study Nursing.
“We are very grateful to him (Bisi Yusuf) for helping us and our parents with the free JAMB pins and the tutorials. It is a great thing he has done; most of us did not expect it. Some of us were even looking to next year to be able to get the money to buy the registration forms. We pray that God will continue to bless him,” she said.
WIFE of Bayelsa State Governor, Dr. Rachael Dickson, yesterday, warned parents, guardians and traditional rulers against protecting rapists, paedophiles and other criminal elements in the state. She lamented increasing cases of abuse of women and girl-child in society and urged people to always shame rapists to reduce the incidence of the menace. Mrs. Dickson spoke when the Commonwealth Women in Parliament (CWP), African Region, visited St. Judes Girls Secondary School, Amarata, Yenagoa, to interact with the students.
The interaction was compered by Miss Mabel Obiriki, a Bayelsa scholarship beneficiary and first-class student of the Lincoln University, United States of America. Speaking on the theme, ‘Girl-Child Education: A Panacea for a Stable Society’, the governor warned parents against encouraging their girlchild to indulge in street hawking instead of being at school. She said: “The government is doing so much about rape and street hawking. As you are aware, we have the office of Public Complaints in Bayelsa that takes care of every girl that has been violated. “Now, the family cannot say they do not have the money to prosecute the matter.
Now, I say to every mother and guardian, once your daughter is violated, it is not a cultural issue anymore; it is a criminal matter. Somebody has broken the law, the law should take its course. “Do not go for settlement. Immediately you go for settlement and a token is paid, that culprit will violate another girl. So, let them (violators) face the law. It is not traditional. No traditional ruler should call for settlement. If the law sets him free, we accept, if the law does not set him free, let him face the punishment. “On the issue of street hawking, actually, there is no reason for street hawking in Bayelsa. We have free education and I know that government has formulated legislation.
Every guardian, every parent that their daughter and their son is of school age that are hawking while they should be in school, will not go unpunished. Education is the right of a child and in Bayelsa, we will enforce that right.” In her submission, chairperson, Commonwealth Women in Parliament, Lindiwe Maseko, appealed to the parents and society to give equal attention to both the girl-child and the boy-child. Maseko commended the government and legislature for making a law to ensure that the perpetrators of violence and abuse against the girl child were brought. She said: “It is important for all to appreciate that this is a challenge to our society, not just Bayelsa, not just Nigeria, not just African continent, but for society as a whole. It therefore behoves us all, in particular men and our boy children to stand and say no to abuse, rape and violation of the girl-child. “The boy child should be taught to protect the girl child. Parents should appreciate that every child is important, not to protect the boys alone. We need a societal movement that forbids that practice of violating the girl child.”
Parents of some of the abducted Dapchi schoolgirls wept yesterday as they staged a protest in front of the National Assembly in Abuja to draw attention to their plight.
They urged the government to do everything possible to bring back the 110 pupils of the Government Girls Technical Science School, Dapchi, who were abducted on February 19.
One of the parents, Yahaya Taributu, whose three daughters are among those abducted, said laxity of security officials and incompetence created room for the abduction.
Wondering why troops were withdrawn from Dapchi 21 days before the abduction, Taributu said: “Government should go and bring back our daughters.
“We don’t know why government had to withdraw the soldiers, but we believe that government knows better. We cannot, and will not rest, over this matter, until we meet four eyes with our daughters”.
The parents carried placards with various inscriptions to denounce the abduction and the government’s failure to take action immediately to stop the terrorists. They wore black shirts with the inscription, “We are Dapchi People.”,
They alleged that since the abduction of their children, there had been no contact with them by government officials.
A mother, Aisha Alhaji Bukar, who kept weeping, said her daughter’s absence had made her sorrowful.
Another, Aisha Kundili Bukar and Adamu Gashuama, a father, said there was no visible security in the town.
“Even now, if you go to Dapchi now, you can carry mothers, fathers and all their children into captivity unchallenged. Dapchi is not safe,” Hajiya Bukar said.
The Senate and the House of Representatives debated the Dapchi abduction yesterday and came up with resolutions.
The House of Representatives called on the Federal Government to rescue the girls promptly.
The lawmakers arrived at the resolution after a long deliberation on this year’s International Women’s Day, through a motion brought by Chairperson, House Committee on Women Affairs, Hon. Stella Ngwu (PDP Enugu) urging the Federal Government to secure freedom for all kidnapped school girls.
They also enjoined the authorities to secure the release of the remaining Chibok girls and provide security for school children and women.
Lawmakers, such as Lynda Ikpeazu, PDP, Anambra; Aisha Dukku, APC, Gombe; Garba Tchede, APC, Taraba; and Gudaji Kazaure, APC, Jigawa, called on the government to provide a legal framework for gender parity and support women in their quest for gender mainstreaming.
The Senate summoned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mr Ibrahim Idris and Chief of Army Staff Tukur Buratai, who are to brief the Joint Committees on Police Affairs, Security and Intelligence and on operational strategies to rescue the abducted school girls.
The resolutions followed a motion moved by Sen. Binta Garba (APC, Adamawa State) during plenary.
•Taributu, whose three kids were abducted (second right) and other parents during the protest…yesterday PhotoS: Abayomi Fayese
The motion, which was read by Deputy Minority Whip Biodun Olujimi on behalf of Garba, was in commemoration of the International Women’s Day.
She said: “The implementation of policies that prohibit violence against women and girls and promote girl-child education is still very poor.
“Practices, such as violence against women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking, sexual and other types of exploitation, early child and forced marriage, female genital mutilation are still being practised.
“A pattern is gradually being established which clearly indicates that the objectives of the Boko Haram Insurgents is to deprive young girls of school age from pursuing education.”
In Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the plenary, agreed that women needed to be celebrated due to their unique accomplishments in all facets of life.
Also yesterday, a coalition of Civil Society Organisations, including the Coalition in Defence of Nigerian Democracy and Constitution (CDNCD) and Our Mumu Don Do Movement, called on the National Assembly to probe the abduction.
“As representatives of the people, the time has come for the National Assembly to take every action that can spur the executive and the nation to act.
“The National Assembly is invited to conduct a powerful investigation to unravel whatever conspiracy has been alleged so far, and the circumstances surrounding how over hundred girls will be kidnapped in a ‘war zone’ without them being spotted, or meeting police/ military check point.,” the coalition said in a statement by Ariyo- Dare Aroye and Raphael Adebayo, who represented the CSOs.
‘Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi is the coordinator of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team. The team was set up in 2012 to respond to issues of rape, domestic violence and child abuse. In this encounter with HANNAH OJO, she speaks more on the factors fuelling abuse of minors.
Is your office engaging in activities geared towards sensitizing the boy child on sexual abuse?
This year, we are bringing more attention to the issue because last year, we carried out a research and the result showed how 85 percent of those abused as minors grew up to abuse children later in life. The result of the research has influenced the way we engage children in our advocacy as we are now insisting that the focus should not be on girls alone but on boys as well. No gender is immune to sexual violence. People used to think that it’s only girls that could be defiled but it’s not true. Boys can also be sexually abused as data has shown. When you have data, it helps to strategize awareness and propose policies that are structured to the needs of the society.
Your data shows there have been cases of sexual violence in places like Alimosho and Kosofo, is it right to say that these cases happen more in low income areas?
We aggregate our data to the 20 local governments in the state but there are some local governments that are densely populated like Alimosho and Kosofe, so it should not come as a surprise to see a lot of cases in those areas. It doesn’t mean that it’s only those areas that these vices are being committed. Perhaps it is also because of our awareness in those areas that these vices are being reported. After the awareness, we see an increase in reportage, but I wouldn’t say that it is only in low income areas because sexual and gender violence is not a respecter of class or creed, religion or gender. It can happen to anybody.
Apart from the excuse of poverty and depression, what other factors are fuelling sexual violence?
According to the data gathered from our research, the first factor is the abused abuser factor. Another factor was that some people said they had poor performance with their peers –this is real data. Some said it was as a result of poor erectile dysfunction and they were tempted because the children obviously would not laugh at them. However, it is important to state that some people actually make it easier for children to be defiled. The idea of leaving children with neigbours is condemnable. Parents are not supposed to leave their precious jewels with any kind of person. Perpetrators don’t just pounce on children, they groom them. They gain their trust, get their confidence and it can start with something so basic but you will be amazed what that can do to a child over a period of time. Some people will say why didn’t the child speak up? It’s because the child did not know better and that is the danger we have in sexual violence. Society most times often blame the victim, even when it is a child. These are the things perpetrators take advantage of and use to groom children.
It is often said that many victims of sexual violence are often discouraged from pressing charges as a result of delayed justice?
The testimony of the child must be corroborated; that is why we ensure that the police conducts proper investigation and that is what has informed our engagement with the Nigerian Police Force in terms of training, empowering and equipping the force with relevant materials. That is one of the reasons why we have relevant support units across 11 divisions in the state. When it comes to legal issue, you cannot be emotional and sentimental, it is facts that can be proved and the evidence. That is why the police is critical because they are the first respondent. There are also the role medical officers play; if a survivor presents himself early, it is very likely that evidence can be preserved and that will help aid investigations.
A DNA lab was launched in November, it is at Odulami Street in order to help victims of sexual violence to able to preserve evidence and ensure justice. In the DPP, we also have the Sexual Offence Unit dedicated to addressing these issues. At the High Court, we have the sexual offence and domestic violence court, so we expect that we start to see an increase in the number of cases that get to court as well as an increase in conviction. We will also start to see a reduction in the time it takes to prosecute these cases.
Since you have been the coordinator, can you recall the most pathetic case you have handled?
All cases are bad, especially when it involves children because they are vulnerable. Who is supposed to have prevented them? Who is supposed to have ensured that it did not happen? It is the adults. Those are the pathetic cases, especially when it is obvious that these cases could have been prevented if different safe-guarding measures were put in place. When an abuse happens to a child, it means that secondary care givers have failed in their responsibility.
