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Tag: Parents

  • Parents risk arrest as Buhari seeks compulsory education for every child

    President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday in Abuja urged state governors to “enforce very vigorously” free and compulsory basic education for every child of primary and junior secondary school age.

    A resolute enforcement of free and compulsory education in the country would mean parents failing to enroll their children in school up to junior secondary school, would be arrested and prosecuted as provided by law.

    Under the Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education Act of 2004, it is criminal for parents to fail to send their children to minimum of JSS3.

    Section 2(2) of the law says, “Every parent shall ensure that his child or ward attends and completes his – (a) primary school education; and (b) junior secondary school education, by endeavouring to send the child to primary and junior secondary schools.”

    Section 4 of the same law says, ” A parent who contravenes section 2 (2) of this Act commits an offence and is liable- (a) on first conviction, to be reprimanded; (b) on second conviction, to a fine of N2,000 or imprisonment for a term of 1 month or to both; and (c) on subsequent conviction, to a fme of N5,000 or imprisonment for a term of 2 months or to both.”

    The law derives its stipulations from the constitutional provision for free education for all children in Nigeria.

    President Buhari’s remark came months after the education minister, Adamu Adamu, repeatedly warned that the government would begin to prosecute defaulting parents in a bid to reverse the country’s embarrassing huge number of out-of-school children.

    Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world. The Univeral Basic Education Commission announced in October 2018 that 13.2 million children were not in schools as they should be.

    Despite the high numbers, some state governments have yet to take advantage of billions of naira in counterpart funding provided by the federal government for free basic education.

    In March, Mr Adamu said parents were “frustrating” the government’s efforts to reverse the shocking figures.

    Speaking on matching grant and other intervention funds for basic education in Nigeria, the minister said N350 billion had been expended on the sub-sector by the Buhari administration in four years, while the preceding government spent N360 billion in six years.

    “In the six years preceding the Buhari Administration, between 2009 and 2014, the federal government spent about N360 billion worth of intervention on Basic Education covering textbooks, teacher professional development, construction of classrooms and library resources among others.’’

    Inaugurating the National Economic Council (NEC) at the Presidential Villa on Thursday, President Buhari reminded the governors that providing free and compulsory education is a constitutional provision.

    ‘‘Section 18(3) of the 1999 Constitution as amended places on all of us here an obligation to eradicate illiteracy and provide free and compulsory education,” presidential spokesperson Femi Adesina quoted the president as saying.

    ‘‘Section 2 of the Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education Act provides that every Government in Nigeria shall provide free, compulsory and universal basic education for every child of primary and junior secondary school age.

    ‘‘It is indeed a crime for any parent to keep his child out of school for this period. In my view, when a government fails to provide the schools, teachers and teaching materials necessary for basic education, it is actually aiding and abetting that crime.

    ‘‘This is, therefore, a call to action. I would like to see every Governor rise from this meeting and rally his local Government Chairmen towards ensuring that our schools offer the right opportunities and provide the needed materials and teachers for basic education, at the minimum.

    ‘‘If we are able to do this, the benefits will surely manifest themselves,’’ the President said in his 24-paragraph speech at the inaugural session of NEC.

    The president told the governors that successes in the four key areas of education, security, health and agriculture would go a long in lifting Nigerians out poverty, and securing the future for sustainable growth and development.

    The president also urged the governors to pay special attention to security, health and agriculture in the next four years of this administration.

  • Deny your children basic education, risk punishment – Buhari warns parents

    President Muhammadu Buhari says it is now a crime for parents to deny their children basic education in the country.

    The president stated this when he inaugurated the National Economic Council (NEC) for the year 2019-2023 at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He also stressed the need to take very seriously and enforce very rigorously the statutory provisions on free and compulsory basic education.

    “Section 18(3) of the 1999 Constitution as amended places on all of us here an obligation to eradicate illiteracy and provide free and compulsory education.

    “Section 2 of the Compulsory Free Universal Basic Education Act provides that every government in Nigeria shall provide free, compulsory and universal basic education for every child of primary and junior secondary school age.

    “It is indeed a crime for any parent to keep his child out of school for this period.

    “In my view, when a government fails to provide the schools, teachers and teaching materials necessary for basic education, it is actually aiding and abetting that crime.

    “This is therefore a call to action. I would like to see every governor rise from this meeting and rally his local government Chairmen towards ensuring that our schools offer the right opportunities and provide the needed materials and teachers for basic education, at the minimum.

    “If we are able to do this, the benefits will surely manifest themselves,’’ he said.

    Buhari noted that the first nine years of basic education were crucial for the development of any child and thus could not be toyed with.

    “Ensuring proper education during the first nine years of schooling means that our children start off their lives with some discipline and education.

    “They will be safeguarded from roaming the streets, and protected from all the evil influences that assail idle hands and idle minds,” he said.

    The president urged the governors to make a firm commitment to be personally involved in ensuring that every child of school age actually goes to school throughout the crucial nine years of basic education.

    He said the Federal Government on its part would strive to extend the school feeding programme which would not only encourage school enrolment but also enhance the health and learning capabilities of pupils.

    He said the government would also assist states as much as possible to access the counterpart funding provided by UBEC for the development of basic education.

    The president also charged state governments to make the security of lives and property top on their agenda.

    NEC, which was established by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) as amended, is chaired by the Vice-President.

    Membership of the Council includes governors of the 36 states, the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Ministers of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Agriculture, FCT and the Minister of State, Petroleum.

    The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Budget and National Planning serves as Secretary to the Council.

  • Man hires kidnappers to abduct parents

    Man hires kidnappers to abduct parents

    Two persons, Akpos Jonny, aged 35 and Samson Oturu aged 31, have been arrested for planning to kidnap one Mr. Okundaye Austine and his wife.

    They were said to have plotted to carry out the operation at No 25, Akhigbe Street, Usen quarters, Egor local government area.

    Police sources said they were on the trail of a son of the victim, Kingsley, who allegedly hired the kidnappers to abduct his mother

    Akpos said they were arrested while taking photographs of the victim.

    He said, “Somebody told us to kidnap his person. I went there and was taking photographs of the man when he noticed me. That was how I was arrested.”

    Police Commissioner, Damallam Abubakar, said the suspects confessed that they were hired by Kingsley to kidnap his mother.

    He said efforts were on to arrest fleeing Kingsley.

    The police also arrested one Joseph Christopher of Ugun Community in Ebelle who allegedly killed his three years old daughter, Dominion.

    Joseph was said to have taken his daughter to a farm where he stated and strangulated her to death.

    Danmallam said Joseph has confessed to the crime.

    He said the suspects would soon be charged to court when investigation has been concluded.

  • Don’t pay JSS 3 exam fees, LASG tells parents

    The Lagos State Government on Thursday cautioned parents not to pay any fee or levy for the Junior Secondary School (JSS3) Basic Education Certificate Examination for students in the state.

    Mrs Adebunmi Adekanye, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Education, said this on Thursday in Alausa while reacting to alleged extortion from parents whose children would be sitting for the examination.

    Adekanye said the state government had paid the fees of all students sitting for the examination in the state.

    According to her, JSS3 students sitting for the BEC examination in the state should not pay any money to anyone under any guise, as all fees relating to the examination have been fully paid by the state government.

    She warned public officials to desist from extorting money from parents under various guises which included payment for practical examinations.

    She said anyone caught in the act would face the consequences of their action.

    Adekanye said that in furtherance of the free education policy of the state government, all fees for all terminal examinations such as BECE and West Africa Senior School Certificate of Education were fully paid by the government.

    She said the gesture was to ease the burden on parents as well as create equal opportunities for all qualified students to sit for the examinations and prove their mettle, irrespective of the circumstances or financial position of their parents.

    Adekanye urged students and parents to report any government official requesting for money whatsoever to the Tutor-Generals in their education districts or ministry of education, Alausa, for prompt action.

  • The changing face of parenting – Francis Ewherido

    By Francis Ewherido

    In those days, children were told all kinds of stories to keep them in line. If a parent sent a child on an errand, she knew the child could be distracted and get back late.

    To ensure the child stayed focused, she spat on the ground, sometimes in blazing sun, and told the child that if the spittle dried up before he got back, he would die.

    Then we used to combine Usain Bolt-like speed with the staying power of Ethiopian and Kenyan marathoners to execute errands in record time.

    To give efficacy to her tale(abi,lie), the parent would continue spitting on the spot to ensure it did not dry up. When you got back, sometimes you went and looked at the spot of the spittle even before delivering the message.

    To the disadvantage of parents, technology has flung open the gates of knowledge and parents and older people have lost this leverage. These days, you dare not tell your child such a tale. You will be finished, because the moment he leaves your presence, he will go to a search engine and find out the truth.

    The bold ones will come back and tell you that,“mummy, you lied.” Gone are also the days when mothers told their daughters that they would get pregnant if a boy touched them. Sex education is now taught even in primary schools, so you must look for ingenious ways to advise them about the dangers of premarital sex.

    But getting impregnated by boys is not the only situation young girls have to deal with these days. Some young girls—and the boys are not spared—have to deal with sex abuse in the home, in schools and in religious organizations.

    These are the three places where children’s lives are molded and where they are supposed to get protection. But they get abused sometimes by their own parents and relatives at home, teachers in school and sex abusers in religious circles.

    These three places must also now give sex education a priority so that children can be equipped enough to protect them against the bad eggs within these bodies. In those days, you passed on knowledge and wisdom to your children.

    These days, wisdom is still a one-way traffic because it is something that comes with time and age. But knowledge is different. As a result of the availability of knowledge at the touch of a button, our children can now also pass on knowledge to us.

    Children know and do unbelievable things with telephone handsets, television sets and other electronic gadgets. Very few parents can compete with their children in this area. I am all too glad to be student and tap into the knowledge of my children. My children have also helped me save money I would have spent on technicians by fixing defective gadgets.

    One of them also gives me precious information on sports. There is no way I would have spent time learning the stuff he knows about sports; not when sports is not my source of livelihood. Docile parents still managed to raise good children in those days because parenting then was not as intellectually tasking as it is today. But every good parent today must be on his/her toes and be abreast of developments.

    If not, you become a toy in the hands of your children. Moreover, the support the communal system of old provided is no longer there. In those days, there were many mamas and papas to whip children into line.

    These days you are OYO (on your own). In the cities, people are too engrossed in their personal affairs to remember the family next door or across the fence. Sometimes you are even labeled an amebo or a nosey neighbor, if you get involved in other people’s matters.

    Only if you have good rapport with people can you safely correct their children. Many a time it is the parents who actually need correction. Go to the airport, social gatherings and even religious gatherings and see what parents wear and how they behave.

    So, if you go about correcting children of such parents, you can get involved in an altercation that can snowball into what you did not bargain for. That is why many people mind their business. But the casualty of minding-your-business is a more decadent society.

    Parents of old restricted their children’s movement and the company they kept to keep them in check. Today, such restrictions are no longer good enough. With their handsets they interact with the world.

    They can get into sites and relationships in faraway places while locked up at home. Internet, with all its benefits, just made parenting more difficult. In those days also, children were just so grateful that their parents were able to send them to school.

    These days, children see it as an entitlement. Some children, especially from comfortable homes, no longer see the need to thank their parents for paying their school fees. Children now seem to be more appreciative when they can see the enormous sacrifice of parents.

    For example, when a very busy parent drops them off at school instead of sending a driver, gives them their bath instead of the maid, comes to school during open days and other school ceremonies, which some parents skip due to their busy schedules, etc. But some things have not changed.

    The first 10 years of a child’s life remain the best time to lay a solid foundation. What has changed is that these first 10 years have become more important than ever with the increasing external influence on children, much of which is negative. Parents now need to spend more time molding their children.

    Unfortunately, with the amount of time and efforts it takes to eke out a living in Nigeria, many parents no longer have the time.

    But you must somehow create the time for your children. If you look around you, you will see the difference between children parents had time for and those left to their own devices in their formative years. At some point, we must all pause to consider the legacy we want to leave behind. We must ask ourselves the essence of life and what life means to us. Actually, answering these questions should decide how we set out ab initio.

    Unfortunately, many of us ask the questions after much harm has been done, some of which are irreversible. But it is still better you asked at some point, rather than not asking and taking action at all.

  • Amazing ! Toyo Baby’s parents reconcile after 17 years of being separated

    Amazing ! Toyo Baby’s parents reconcile after 17 years of being separated

    When lovers reconcile it usually gladdens the heart of their friends and family. This is the tale Nollywood actress, Juliana Olayode aka Toyo Baby has to tell.

    Toyo Baby who once starred in Jenifa’s Diary took to her Instagram page to recount how her parents who were separated for 17 years finally reconciled.

     

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BmJcNqyHYHT/?taken-by=olayodejuliana

     

    In her words:” WEDDING BELLS ARE RINGING❤?❤

    I know that my Rebirth Fam @rebirthnetwork would be able to relate more with what I am about to share.

    Gosh where do I start? My heart is racing…I still can’t believe it. I have prayed for it to happen for 17 years. At some point, I stopped praying about it because nothing changed, things only got worse.

    My elder sisters called for a meeting, and between us, we wanted to reconcile my mum and dad but we didn’t tell them about it. I was so afraid. I wondered if they would come or if our plans to bring them back together would work. So, three days before the meeting, I started praying about it. I started imagining them together. I was just doing everything by faith.

    On Sunday morning, I had cold feet. I was so afraid. “God, please do it this time”, was my prayer when I entered my late sister’s house for the meeting.

    It was a VERY long process but yaaaaaaaay THEY MADE UP ??? They hugged each other and looked into each other’s eyes and started laughing. Then my mum started crying and my siblings and I joined in the tears of joy…

    I’m still in shock.

    So fam, wedding bells are ringing ?? oh

    THERE IS NOTHING GOD CAN NOT DO. DON’T STOP PRAYING. DON’T STOP BELIEVING. HE WILL DO IT IN HIS OWN TIME…

    I join my faith with everyone whose parents are divorced or separated for whatever reason and I declare that the same God who answered my prayer after 17 years will do yours if you so desire “.

    The “Jenifa’s Diary” star who has always been adored by fans for her stance on sexual purity, shocked them when she revealed in her book that she lost her virginity to her married music teacher when she was 17 years old.

     

  • Freed Dapchi schoolgirls reunite with parents in Yobe

    The Freed Dapchi schoolgirls on Sunday arrived Maiduguri on their way back home, after meeting President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Recall that 104 of the 110 abducted students of the Government Girls Secondary Technical College (GGSTC), Dapchi, were released by Boko-Haram insurgents on March 21.

    The freed girls, brought in a military aircraft, landed at about 10.00 a.m. at the 105 Nigeria Air Force Composite Command, Maiduguri.

    The girls, accompanied by top government officials and representatives of the parents, left Maiduguri in convey of buses to Damaturu, where they were expected to be formally handed over to their families.

     

  • Our children will acquire western education despite Boko Haram’s threat – Dapchi girls’ parents insists

    Some parents of the just released Dapchi school girls have reiterated that their children will continue to acquire western education despite Boko Haram’s threat of not doing so to avoid risking another abduction.

    The members of the sect who returned the girls to Dapchi on Wednesday were said to have left a strong warning to the residents that they should not send their children to school again or they would risk being abducted.

    Some of the freed girls were also said to have claimed that the insurgents warned them on the verge of their release that they should not return to western education if they did not want to be abducted again.

    But some of the parents who spoke with newsmen on Friday said the threats issued by the sect would not deter them from getting their daughters educated.

    Musa Kalla, father of Zara Musa, one of the girls abducted and brought back safely, said: “No one can stop me from educating my daughter. It is not possible for me to obey Boko Haram on that kind of advice.

    “God is the creator and the maker of everything that happens in this world. My daughter Insha Allah (by God’s grace) will continue with her school and become what God has destined her to be.”

    Another parent, Fatima Abdullahi, said that having not gone to school herself, she would never compromise her daughter’s education.

    She said: “I didn’t go to school, but I know that education is very important.

    “It is not possible for somebody to stop the education of my daughter except God says so.

    “What Boko Haram is saying is not possible for us to follow.

    “Our children will continue to go to school.

    “Islam does not forbid knowledge.”

    Fatima said that while her daughter may no longer school in Dapchi, she would not object the idea of her continuing her education elsewhere if that became necessary.

    “We cannot say now because our children are not in our custody but in the custody of the government.

    “But like I said, my daughter will go to school even if government decides to return her to me, but it may not be this school in Dapchi because we cannot have any rest of mind if our children are in that school.”

    The Secretary of the Forum of Parents of the missing Dapchi girls, Kachalla Bukar, who interacted with the insurgents when they came to Dapchi to drop off the girls including his daughter, Aisha, categorically said her daughter would continue schooling but not in Dapchi.

    He said with the kind of confidence and weapons he saw the Boko Haram insurgents display, he was convinced that nobody could stop them from going to anywhere they want to go.

    “In fact, they can even enter Damaturu and abduct girls in any school they want to,” he said.

    Asked whether he would heed Boko Haram’s advice to keep his daughter at home, Kachalla said: “We cannot send them to that particular school. It’s not safe for us to keep them at home either.

    “There is no security in that school. I can send her to either school in Nguru, Maiduguri or any other state apart from Yobe, because I have confidence that those guys can come to Damaturu and abduct girls if they want to.

    “I feel that Nguru is safer because there is a barrack there and it has only one road and plenty rivers, unlike Damaturu and Potiskum which are so porous.

    “There are many roads in Damaturu that Boko Haram can follow and you will not catch them.”

    Adamu Jumbam, one of the parents whose daughters died in the incident, told our correspondent that he had accepted his fate.

    Jumbam said: “I was troubled when other girls were seen on arrival but my daughter Aisha was said to have died along with four others on the day of their abduction.

    “All the same, I thank Almighty Allah for this and pray for the repose their souls. We can say the government has tried.”

    “The surprising thing is that Boko Haram abducted these girls and still returned then to the heart of the town in broad daylight and went back freely.

    “It is absolutely amazing. It troubles our imagination. How will Boko Haram abduct these teenagers over one month, returned them and nothing was done to them?”

  • Ajimobi congratulates parents of Dapchi 104, urges prayers for deceased girls’ parents

    Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has congratulated parents of the 104 Dapchi girls released from the captivity of the Boko Haram insurgents, on Wednesday, just as he urged prayers for the parents of the five deceased students.

    In a statement by his Special Adviser, Communication and Strategy, Mr. Bolaji Tunji, on Thursday, Ajimobi also congratulated the Federal Government for deploying what he called timely cutting edge reconnaissance which, he said, culminated in the early release of the girls.

    The governor said that the FG had again demonstrated its resolve to tackle the security challenges confronting the country, especially the North-East, with renewed vigour and alertness.

    He declared that security was a joint responsibility of the government and citizens, thereby advocating eternal vigilance among citizens to nip criminality in the bud.

    Given the country’s vast population and the daunting security challenges confronting it, especially insurgency, kidnapping, militancy, herdsmen menace, banditry and other forms of violent crimes, he said securing the country could be overwhelming.

    Ajimobi said, “At a time like this, all hands must be on deck. This is not the time to apportion blames or call the intelligence gathering and combat-readiness of our security agencies to question. These are indeed trying times for the country.

    “I know the trauma that the kidnapped young girls must have gone through while under captivity, but I rejoice with them now that they are back with us. And as a parent, I can imagine the agony of their parents, especially those who lost their adorable ones to the incident.

    “While congratulating the parents of the 104 girls recently reunited with their parents, I solicit prayers and empathy for the parents of the five deceased children for God to comfort them and wipe away their tears.

    “I commend the Federal Government and President Muhammadu Buhari for rising to the occasion. With fervent and sustained prayers, I’m confident that the Chibok girls still being held by the Boko Haram will also breathe the air of freedom soon.”

  • Dapchi: Boko Haram preached, warned us not to return our girls to western schools – Parents

    Parents of abducted Dapchi schoolgirls who were released on Wednesday by Boko Haram insurgents said upon returning the girls, the insurgents preached to them and warned against returning their children to western schools.

    The parents also confirmed that no soldier or security operative was present in the community to confront the insurgents for the almost one hour they spent in the community.

    Dapchi village burst into joyous mood as residents chorused Baba Oyoyo, Baba Oyoyo, in apparent appreciation of President Muhammadu Buhari, whom they felt engineered the negotiation of the girls as he promised them when he visited last week.

    “It was a thing of joy for us in Dapchi when suddenly we began to see trucks moving into the town at about 8:00 a.m in the morning”, said Ibrahim Husseini, a resident of Dapchi.

    “They brought the girls and then they were telling the general public that they should not go back to Western education schools; that what they did was not terrorism but rather the propagation of Islamic knowledge,” said Mr. Husseini who said his sister was among the released girls.

    Kachalla Bukar, who is the secretary of the abducted Dapchi schoolgirls’ parents’ group, said he received a phone call from relatives in Gumsa town that they saw Boko Haram gunmen coming towards Dapchi with the girls.

    He said when he broke the news to the villagers, the people became scared and began to flee in fear.

    Mr. Kachalla said he and other parents of the missing girls stood and watched as Boko Haram drove into the village in the same kind of vehicles that they used to take the girls away about 30 days ago.

    He said he did not only wait to receive the girls, but also exchanged pleasantries with them and even took a selfie using the insurgents’ camera phones.

    “But we, the parents of the missing girls, did not run as other villagers did, because we cannot run and leave our girls in the hands of the Boko Haram.

    “When they came, they told us that they were returning the girls not because somebody gave them money, but out of their freewill. We thanked them. Then they told us that we must never return our girls to western school again; we said we will do as said. They preached to us for some time, and we said we will heed to their sermons.

    “They shook our hands and asked us to forgive them for whatever pains that they might have caused us; then we shook hands and they asked us to snap photos with them using their mobile phone which we all did.”

    Sources in Dapchi said the Boko Haram gunmen began to leave the town at about 9:00 a.m., but stopped midway out of the town to fix their deflated tires.

    Haruna Driver, a resident of Dapchi and father to one of the abducted girsl, Amina Haruna, said he could not believe that his daughter could return to him so early.

    “When the news came to me, it was like a dream. But when I saw my daughter, I and her mother shed tears of joy,” he said.

    “Sadly, we could not spend much time with her before she was taken to the hospital and then to Abuja. We thank God for His kindness and mercy on us. We thank the president and all those that worked hard to see that our daughters return to us safely.”