… As 9yr old vows to fight Child Abuse in Nigeria

By Victor Arjiromanus, Kehinde Oladimeji

As a timely intervention on dwindling moral values and the erratic behavior of some Nigerian youths, a non governmental organization, Denice Media Productions limited(DMPL) has called on the Federal government, various stakeholders and other members of the society to participate in a purposeful action aimed at  saving Nigerian youths in threat of destruction.

Chairman, , DMPL, Mr. Victor Ogali , who made the call during a press conference on the ‘Save Our Generation’ campaign, held in Lekki area of Lagos state,  disclosed that   over 14million Nigerian youths considered to be part of the workforce of the country, were under threat of destruction, due to what he descried as  dire health conditions caused by high consumption of psycho-active substances and other drugs.

Ogali , said: “  In mega cities like Lagos, Kaduna, Katsina, Port Harcourt, etc, six in ten young people live on substances and the number is increasing daily and this has created  a threat to maintain a mentally equipped generation’

Lamenting on other problems such as of cultism, fraud, lack of interest in education among others. Mr. Ogali said; “About Seventy three thousand young people are in prisons for varied crime charges, while another over one hundred and fifty thousand are on various streets committing same crimes, with a swelling number of them embracing more fraudulent attitudes like cyber and other mainstream crimes”

“The worrisome rise in street cultism among young people is one battle Nigeria has failed to fight. Every day, media reports tell gruesome stories of teens as low as 11years up to 40years involve in attacks and blood-letting activities that could only be best portrayed in horror movies. Each day in Lagos, at least three deaths are recorded as a result of clash by rival cult groups, taking lives of both innocent people, including security officials and the cult members themselves.”

“Our little ones too mix with an already moral deteriorating society and create a laundry list of threats to Nigeria. Grating economic conditions with environment have forced young girls to become high-end prostitutes and the boys have turned killers, kidnappers and armed robbers.”

“Our purported educated youths who have gone through the four walls of the university have embraced suicide as a result of frustration and misplaced ideologies of helplessness. Young people and their behavioral shifts are threats to dangerously wipe out a generation of well thinking, learned, healthy and moral people. Alas, Nigeria is taking higher place in the seat of unsafe countries among the League of Nations.”

On her part, nine-year-old  old Miss Nigeria international, Queen Toluwanimi Omole, who was  present at the occasion, said; ‘my vision is to ensure that Child Rights Act is enjoyed by every child regardless of their gender, race and societal status’

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“It has been discovered over time that there are parts of this great country affected by social vices, depriving children of their rights such as child physical, sexual and mental abuse, molestation e.t.c. The average Nigerian child on a daily basis faces all manner of social ills and vices like genital mutilation, child trafficking, street hawking ,child marriage with attendant problems related to early child birth, sexual abuse and exploitation, which exposes children to reproductive and sexual infections including HIV/AIDS,’

However, she said plans are on ground to battle these menaces.

The ‘Save our Generation’ project  has one major goal among many others, which is to channel the minds and attention of  children, youths and young adults from the social vices mentioned, into youths of the 21st century with innovative ideas that can re-shape their generation to greatness.

Vanguard