By Kemi Yesufu
The House of Representatives has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare child destitution and begging a national emergency.
This is as the lawmakers called on states to invest in creating wider access to basic education as guaranteed by the United Nations Convention. Members urged states to affected recording a high number of out-of-school children to comply with extant laws on basic education, especially the UBEC Act by ensuring that all children between the ages of 6 -16 are given free and compulsory education;
The call from the lower House followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Rep. Mansur Manu Soro and three other lawmakers entitled, ‘Need to Eradicate Child Destitution and Remove Beggars from Nigerian Streets through Provision Of Standardized Education System and Improved Livelihood.”
Also important is the call from the Green Chamber that the Federal Ministry of Education integrate the Almajiri education system into the Universal Basic Education Programme;
Lawmakers advised that the Office of the Vice-President in collaboration with States’ relevant institutions conducts a census of Almajiri schools and headcount of the destitute children with the view to enrolling them in the on-going National Home-grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP);
They further urged the Federal Government to create a department under the UBEC to handle the Almajiri matters with adequate funding to construct a minimum of one Almajiri school in each of the electoral wards of the affected states by the year 2021 and also ensure that the Almajiri school curriculum is planned to include technical and vocational courses with long-term objectives of self-reliance and sustenance;
Leading the debate on the motion, Soro stated that the menace of Child destitution in most parts of Nigeria has become a matter of grave concern for the continued wellbeing of the country and is also a source of increasing national embarrassment;
He said: “Aware that the various religious and cultural value systems frown at begging and abandoning children without proper care, yet parents release their children to pass through such horrific conditions out of poverty and sheer abdication of responsibility.
“Also aware that Article 19 of the United Nations Convention on the rights of Children requires every member state to take all appropriate legislative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, abuse or neglect”
He expressed concern about the probable consequences of child destitution and street begging, which ranges from kidnapping, sexual abuse to overall public insecurity;
‘Further concerned that the negligence by and indifference at all levels of government about the presence and plight of the child destitute are condemnable;
“Cognizant that an immediate ban on child destitution and begging will only worsen the situation, and make the children more desperate, vulnerable and threatening to the society, while their continued existence poses grave danger to Nigeria’s collective wellbeing and security of the present and succeeding generations.”
The Committee on Legislative Compliance (when constituted) was mandated to ensure compliance.
Be the first to comment