Not just eight years, hundred years ahead will not be enough for the government in power to put an end to the current insecurity challenges bedeviling Nigeria as a nation due to the rapid increase in population.
Those children busy roaming around, begging, snatching bags, hawking, sleeping and waking up on the streets; those we refuse to offer good education, health, shelter, food and clothing, are the problem of Nigeria.
Those children we do call and address Almajiri in Hausa communities, Alaye in Yoruba communities, and Agbero in Igbo communities are the roots of Nigeria’s current insecurity challenges. Those children have no dream, direction or plan for their life, and can be easily influenced by anybody to engage in criminal act.
To hit the nail on head, my focus is on family planning because majority of those children found to be victims of such circumstances; those children lacking home training, and can’t be taken care of by their parents, only few are victims of corporal punishment.
Not just northern Nigeria, even in the South, the reverse is the case. Nigerians keep giving birth to children anyhow without having the means to cater for their needs or give them the moral upbringing. Fathers no longer care whether their wards sleep or not sleep at home, go to school or not, eat at home or not, all they care about is the number of wives, how long they last on bed, and how many times do they make their wives pregnant?
This is obvious in our communities and that’s why insecurity persists in Nigeria because an abandoned child can definitely find his way to survive as such, they may end up in the streets begging, snatching people’s items and also get recruited by the demons.
Therefore, government should introduce policies and strategies that will make people embrace family planning, which I think is the only way Nigeria can put an end to the insecurity challenges. Parents should embrace family planning to avoid giving birth to children they have cannot cater for.
Sapwavi Cyril,
Department of Mass Communication
University of Maiduguri
Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.
