BY VICTORIA OJEME & CALEB AYANSINA
ABUJA —The National Coordinator, Association of Orphans and Vulnerable Children NGOs of Nigeria, AONN, has accused the Federal Government of playing politics with issues that could cushion the effect of violence against children.

The National Cordinator, Barrister Grace Dafiel, who stated this at a briefing on the need to find urgent action against street children phenomenon, said government at all levels had not taken interest in solving the plight of children, despite commitments made on the improvement of child abuse in Nigeria.

Her words:  “While one can speak of some kind of political commitment on the part of government, very little is being done to address the problem of street children, part of the tragedy of street children is the way Nigerian government has abandoned them to their fate.

“With each passing day, it is becoming increasingly clear that Nigeria, a country where the problem is most acute, had been unable to give it the attention it deserves and had unintentionally contributed to its continuation.”

“The task of helping street children seems Herculean. Clearly it cannot be achieved simply by injections of money, or by merely passing laws. Mere material improvement trickling down to the community level will not help either.

“ All these efforts may even aggravate matters unless they are accompanied by programmes which will allow children to develop their potential and by a softening of punitive attitudes towards street children by authorities.”

Mrs. Dafiel added that the association had assisted many children to get off the street, citing Edo State, where about 35 children had been taken out of the street and were doing perfectly well in their various houses where they were adopted.

She called on the federal government to stop ignoring calls for the establishment of children commission, stressing the need for adequate policy that would champion the course of Nigeria children. “It is inconceivable that the welfare of children can be advanced in an environment of increasing mass poverty, conflicts and wars,” she said.

She noted that the bill for the creation of children commission suffered set back in the last National Assembly because lawmakers and some stakeholders did not see children issue as important, canvassing for the separation of children issue from women issue.

According to her,  women issue tends to swallow up children issues whenever they are put together.
The association also called for the review of adoption law in the country by removing it from concurrent legislative list to exclusive list to ensure uniformity and effectiveness.

She said this would assist adoption process of orphans in most of the orphanages across the country, in view of on going campaign against the existence of orphanages, which is necessitated by their poor up bringing of children.

“Improper up bringing, poor living condition of children, while some live in dilapidated building, all these necessitated the campaign against the operation of orphanage home, is not because of trafficking or abuse.

“There needs to be a firm commitment by all concerned parties to tackle the problem and not just ignore it, hoping that it will go away or that other people are going to come to solve the problem for us,” she explained.