.As Ogun Gov says Almajiri, out-of-children ‘re time bomb
CHIGOZIE AMADI
The House of Representatives has urged the Inspector-General of Police IGP Olukayode Egbetokun, the Director-general National Youths Service Corps NYSC Brig-Gen YD Ahmed to investigate and rescue Okeke Chukuwuemeka Godwin a youth corps member serving in Ondo State who is reported missing.
This followed the adoption of a motion by Hon Nnolim Nnaji representing Nkanu East/West Federal Constituency of Enugu State on the matter on the floor of the House.
Debating the motion Nnaji noted that the NYSC was established to engage Nigerian university graduates in effective community services and nation building across ethno-linguistic boundaries, however the scheme has been threatened by myriads of abductions, incessant attacks and murder due to the inadequate facilities and general welfare;
He said that he is aware that there is an optimum obligation of providing safe environment and facilities for NYSC members on Federal and State Governments in conjunction with security agencies while serving or posted in various host communities;
He said:” Concerned that a Youth Corp member and my constituent, Okeke Chukwuemeka Godwin from Umuanyi Village, Ovuorie, Ugbawka Community in Nkanu East LGA of Enugu State, being the best-graduated student in Computer Science Department at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State with Second Class upper division, has been missing till date, while serving in Ondo State under Batch 23B;
“Also concerned that Godwin was supposed to complete his NYSC program on June 17th, 2024, but got missing on May 9th, 2024, which was the particular day his parents couldn’t reach him on his mobile phone numbers till date;
“Informed that on the 13th day of May, 2024, the mother of the missing Corp member, Mrs. Okeke Patience and his younger brother, went to Akure, Ondo State, to verify the situation and thereby visited his place of primary assignment and residence but could not get any vital information;
“Further informed that the relatives reported the matter to the Nigerian Police (Ijakpo Police Division) who sent signal to other police stations and the police headquarter in Ondo State for investigation, but after some interrogations, the family has not been fully communicated on the outcome of these investigations”.
He expressed worries that the relatives also reported the matter to the local government and State office of the NYSC, including the community leadership but up till date the matter is still pending without any information leading to his rescue;
The PPD lawmaker also also said that he acknowledges that on the 19th of June, 2024, the mother of Godwin with two other relatives and a journalist visited the Ondo State Police Command, the NYSC State and local government offices, where the journalist made some inquiries and produced a documentary via Trust Television, meanwhile the mother visited and reported the matter and her ordeal at NYSC National Secretariat, Abuja;
He informed the House that the Commissioner of Police in Ondo State and the State Coordinator of NYSC with the management of the scheme have not taken adequate measures to search and rescue the missing Corp member;
He further stated that the negative and culminating effects of various State Governments not being proactive in taking adequate measures to provide basic accommodation facilities, clinics, enabling environment and other necessities has been very devastating to the safety and welfare of corps members;
Consequently the House presided by the Speaker Hon Tajudeen Abbas unanimously adopted the motion.
The House further urged the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to appropriately direct the State Governments and security agencies to provide maximum security and good habitation facilities for Youth Corp members.
They also urged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the Director-General of NYSC and relevant agencies to investigate this case of the missing Corp member and initiate measures for the safety and welfare of Corp members in every host community.
Lastly the House asked the IGP to intervene by conducting a comprehensive search and rescuing of Godwin, the missing Youth Corp member, as the matter is seriously affecting the lives and mental state of the family, most especially the mother.
.As Ogun Gov says Almajiri, out-of-children ‘re time bomb
Meanwhile, Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has said that the issue of Almajiri and out-of-school children is a national challenge that needs to be addressed before it gets out of control.
Abiodun stated this on Thursday when he received members of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education, who paid him a courtesy call in his office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
The governor described the issue of Almajiri and out-of-school children in the country as a volcano waiting to erupt.
According to Governor Abiodun, the high number of out-of-school children calls for concern, as they could easily be manipulated to cause havoc in the country.
He said: “The issue of Almajiri is a national challenge. It is not a challenge for a section of this country, but a national challenge. The National Security Adviser and I sat down to discuss this issue, and we deliberated on what actionable steps can be taken that are implementable, breaking them down into immediate, medium to long-term, and sustainable steps to ensure that we collectively deal with the issue, which I described as a volcanic eruption that we can’t see now, that appears dormant, but is very viable.
“The last time we had protests, we saw an unusually high number of protesters, significantly from the north. When you look at those protesters, they were Almajiri children. It was obvious that they didn’t have a clue about what they were doing. Some of them were carrying Russian flags, which means that they didn’t understand what that means. They were tools in the hands of manipulators, willing and ready tools in the hands of manipulators who probably gave them a meal or something meager, and they were ready to go for it.
“This is a very sad development in the history of this nation, and this is a result of years of neglect of the situation. My position is that we can successfully tackle it. This will be one of President Bola Tinubu’s best legacies. It will be an enduring legacy, and I know that the President, under his Renewed Hope vision, is very passionate about ensuring that he reduces the number of Almajiri and out-of-school children to an absolute minimum.
“I assure you that, as the governor of Ogun State and the Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum (SGF), we will do our best to address this issue, even though we have a lower number of out-of-school children in the south.”
He attributed the high number of out-of-school children in the state to a large student population due to the influx of people from other parts of the country coming to work or live in the state, adding that his administration is taking steps to address the situation.
“When you look at statistics, it shows that Ogun State has an unusually high percentage of out-of-school children in the southwest. In the primary sector, it shows 10.3 percent, compared to the southwest region’s 6.2 percent. In junior secondary school, we have 12.1 percent, compared to 8.5 percent in the southwest average. In senior secondary, we have 20.9 percent, compared to 19.2 percent average in the southwest.
“But you know, statistics at times can be misleading, so when you look at the number of students we have in Ogun State compared to the number of students in, for example, a state like Ekiti, and you see Ekiti showing a lower number of out-of-school children, you can begin to understand why ours is high because we have by far more students than some of these states combined.
“That itself is not an excuse, but it is something to ensure that we deliberately begin to work in order to reduce this to the barest minimum. That means we are also interested parties in view of what we are going through in our state,” he submitted.
He said his administration would provide the Commission with office accommodation as well as provide a local person to liaise with its officials to meet the objective of addressing the out-of-school children menace.
The governor said that as the Chairman of SGF, he would liaise with his colleagues to replicate similar commission in their various states.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Alternative Education, Hon. Almustapha Rabah, said Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children after Pakistan and India, urging all hands to be on deck to address the issue.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr. Muhammad Idris, disclosed that Nigeria has about 30 million Almajiri roaming the streets as a result of the irresponsibility of their parents.
He said the Almajiri, apart from constituting a nuisance, are manipulated and recruited into banditry, while some are made to join terrorist gangs, thus posing a security challenge to the nation.
He called for the cooperation of the southern governors to address the issue, as no part of the country is safe when the future of the children is not guaranteed.
