Any hope for the Nigerian child?

Within five minutes, the police, the fire service, the navy, the airforce, the road safety corps, were all at the scene. A team of six divers jumped into the flooding water while three helicopters hovered over them; all to rescue the drowning dog. Because of the powerful current that came with the flood, it took […]

Within five minutes, the police, the fire service, the navy, the airforce, the road safety corps, were all at the scene. A team of six divers jumped into the flooding water while three helicopters hovered over them; all to rescue the drowning dog. Because of the powerful current that came with the flood, it took the combined efforts of the various rescue teams time to bring out the dog. Nigerians wished that the search for the abducted Chibok schoolgirls received, at least, the kind of attention and resources commited to rescuing the dog under reference
Last Tuesday May 27, 2014 was ‘observed’ in parts of the country as Children and Youth Day in Nigera. Although some states in the country suspended the event in honour of the kidnapped schoolgirls of Government Secondary School Chibok that government (through its armed forces) has, 47 days today after their abduction, failed to rescue; many wonder if there is anything worth celebrating by the Nigerian child.  In spite of the prominence that International Children’s day gets in many nations, the occasion has always been a dull day for Nigerian children especially the disadvantaged that are in millions; practically reducing it to a mere annual ritual with little concern shown by government for the plight of the Nigerian child.
Access to qualitative education, which is a basic right, is out of the reach of many of them. Capacity is low; access limited. Children who manage to make it to public schools do not usually have good stories to tell as most of the schools are eyesores, lacking basic infrastructure necessary for effective teaching and learning to take place. School buildings are dilapidated; libraries, where they exist, are ill-equipped; laboratories and workshop equipments are either obsolete or non-existent in most schools.  Where parents cannot provide classroom furniture, children sit on bare floor or share seats to learn; sometimes under the shade of a tree. Yet, we expect the Nigerian child to compete favorably with his counterparts from other parts of the world where education is given the utmost priority.
Government has noticeably failed to appreciate the plight of the vulnerable and the disadvantaged among Nigerian children. The Nigerian child is yet to benefit from any workable programme of government aimed at integrating basic education in to the Qur’anic school system. The Almajiri syndrome has continued to remain intractable in parts of the country especially the north. Governors of northern states have refused to show any serious commitment to ending street begging among school-age children; a culture that has always been a basic component of the existing traditional tsangaya school system in the northern part of the country. Such children become easy prey to wicked persons who use them to foment civil unrest. Similarly, no serious attention is seen to be paid to by the UBE proamme to the peculiarities of the physically-challenged children. Most local government areas in Nigeria today have neither a school for the blind nor for the deaf or dumb. While the fight at eradicating childhood diseases may be yielding results, infant mortality rate resultant mostly from limited access to primary healthcare facilities, remains high in the country. Any hope therefore for the Nigerian child that is caught up in this inexcusable predicament? All these are happening in Nigeria, a country that should consider it a matter of priority to invest optimally in its children and their future. Nigerian leaders should sincerely fear God and stop paying lip services to issues that concern children. They should know that their refusal to adequately address the needs of children has severe repercussions for the nation. The future of every country lies in the quality of its investments in its young population.
Parents too share some blame for the plight of the Nigerian child. Many have put the search for wealth above the education, care and love due to their children;  subjecting them to some forms of social abuse. Very many parents who should be models and perfect guides to their children are themselves in need of guidance, and in some cases, counselling. The high prevalence of broken homes in some parts of the country has had its negative consequences on the moral upbringing of children and youth. Given the way some state govetnments are conducting mass weddings, it looks as if a ministry for would be created for this purpose in such states. The alarming rate of poverty ravaging parents of most Nigerian children occasioned by unemployment has brought hunger and disease to bear upon the children’s population in Nigeria.
Agencies responsible for combating child-trafficking, child labour, rape, discrimiation and other forms of child abuse should ensure that these children are not exposed to these dangers at this stage of their lives.
If others who do not lay any serious claim to religion would care for animals as much as much as they care for humans, those of us in this part of the world who claim to  be religious men and women (as Mslims or Christians) have greater responsibility of caring even more for both. But sadly in our own case, even human beings as citizens and as adults are less cared for; let alone children; let alone animals. If the future of the country depends largely on the quality of today’s children and youths, it is on government, therefore, to ensure their protection and survival against all the challenges that threaten their survival. Concrete measures at reducing poverty and increasing access to quality education must be taken and backed with deliberate policies. May Allah (SWT) guide us all aright, amin.