See Nigerian children crying to government and their parents for
the lack of proper care and love. I have a question to ask and that is the
question that Nigerian children want an answer to, Children’s day is being
celebrated on the 27th of May of every year. Why is it only on may
27th we remember and celebrate our children? Did children really
being celebrated? Did they have a sense of belonging? Did our children really
feel the joy that our members of the society have? It is here in Nigeria
that I know that children always work for their living, treated like animal.
Almost every child not those one who were born in Aso Rock and in all
government houses in the country but I am talking about typical Nigerian
children raised in the city, town and in the ghettoes are not enjoying what
they should enjoy as a member of the society. There is abuse and lack of love.
Some of these children always blame the Supreme Being (God) for placing them in
Nigeria they wish they were
born in developed nations like America,
United Kingdom
or European country. I don’t like to blame such children it is lack of love,
care and lack of sense of belonging.
Infancy, period from birth to
about 2 years of age. This first stage of life is an important time, characterized
by physical and emotional growth and development. We are entitling to love,
care, protection and all provision not abuse says Nigerian children.
When
we are young, we grown up in the labour field where parents treated us as one
of the slave bought, we are battered, beaten, punished and some times we are
subjected to terror that we lost our sense of value for our real self-worth and
our true identity was affected. We don’t enjoy our childhood, no time for rest,
our parent engaged us all the time for hawking and other domestic work but for
us no objection as we leave one work so also we are expected to jump into
another. The most damaging experience of the Nigerian child is that after all
these labour, no thank you or well done from the parents or the guidance
instead what they receive is blame and beaten for every mistakes.
When
Nigeria child commit any atrocity or offend the parent or any elderly person,
see the beaten, they beat the child until there is no breath in him anymore and
often they are starved of sleep, food, clothing etc for little mistakes that
these elderly ones can even do more if they are in their position.
No
proper education is given to the Nigerian children, no special attention and
love. It is when we pretend to be sick or when we are really sick before we can
get or gain the attention of our parents and guidance, Oh it is a sorry case!
Parents, children are heritage of God without price to take care
of them, instead you left these children alone to feed, cloth and protect
themselves, this is an abuse. Subjecting them to labour and hawking round the
street is damaging to our self worth. It is only on Christmas day parents remember they have a children they
suppose to cloth and feed, it is only on Christmas day we are able to wear new
shoes, new clothes says one of the children.
Why is it only once in a year we are entitling to all these
goodies and privileges of life?
When I sat down with television, magazine to watch and read what
other children in Europe and America
enjoy from their parents and governments I always feel sorry for the state of
children in this country and in Africa.
Hear the cry of the Nigerian child “Anytime I pay visit to my friend’s house and I see
how their parent relate and show them love, I regret being born of my parent”
Nigeria government needs to rise to this
challenge and do something now concerning the plight of children. Presently
there is no adequate provision for Nigerian child, see all motor pack and all
our street children that suppose to be in school are found every second and
everyday hawking instead of being in school please do something.
Child abuse means using or treating our children in a wrong way.
One day just open your window if you are living in a widely congested area like
Lagos state,
within 5 minutes the next thing you see are these little children hawking,
carrying tray of yam, cloth, gari etc. In every society where there is a tragic
occurrence, children are always the major victim, children of 4 to 5 years
dying of hunger, war and famine. Parents and government please do something on
child abuse, child protection, child victimization they are the seed of the
future we desire to build.
There is one ugly experience in the northern part of Nigeria
where parent who should be the custodian of the destiny of their children gave
them plate and telling them to go beg for food and money.
Celebrating our children should not be once in a year or twice a
year. If this nation or parent neglected the children the future is being neglected
and every labour of our lives will be in vain. Our dear parent and our dear
government, watching the children like this is like sitting down watching your
home collapsing. Parents and government let us build up our children, train
them, give them all they deserve and a ready-made future will be delivered into
your hands. Hear this, when a ball is throw or tossed against a wall, the
direction it will bounce depends on how it was thrown, many parents live
helpless today and they have children living fine and adequately equipped but
because their children did not enjoy them when they are young.
