The term Yahoo is not new on the streets in Nigeria. It is a collective term for cybercrime and many Nigerian youths have resorted to this as a means of employment. Many who have been caught in this dastardly act lay claim to the fact that it is a means of livelihood for their family and that they do not see anything wrong in it because they perceive themselves to be better than armed robbers. This is just one of the many activities that have put Nigeria in a bad light all over the world. Many people abroad see all Nigerians as fraudsters because of their possible experience with one Nigerian or what they heard another person say about the country. These and many more issues were dealt with on Monday, June 14, 2021, at a conference organized for teachers, parents and students as a way of correcting some of the social ills.
The event had many able minds in attendance and one of them was Alhaji Dr Wasiu Adumadeyin, an educator, a parent, public speaker and the proprietor of Was-Lat Group of schools in Lagos and Mowe axis of Ogun State. He was also the immediate past president of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) and has spoken at different conferences in Lagos and beyond.
This dynamic tutor was the guest speaker at a parent; teachers and students conference organized by an NGO, De Kids n Parents. The conference tagged beyond my daily routine took a dive into what parents, teachers and children alike are doing wrongly which has landed our nation in the mess that it has found itself, At the conference, Alhaji Adumadeyin highlighted a few points which include poverty, lack of proper time and attention on the part of the parents, social vices and refusal of some teachers to develop themselves into a proper 21st Century tutors as some of the reasons there is an increase in corruption and moral decadence in Nigeria.
Speaking at the conference, the articulate educationist revealed right now, many parents even go as far as fortifying their children who engage in cybercrime otherwise known as Yahoo-Yahoo. He said the reason is because we already have a faulty system and only a few can say that they are feeling the impact of the government. Noting that the way forward lies in getting the family structure right again. Dr Adumadeyin encouraged all parents to ensure that they play the role of a mentor in the lives of their children so that it can be easier for teachers to properly build on the solid foundations that had been laid from home.
Furthermore, Alhaji Adumadeyin noted a few points that could serve as wake-up calls and possible solutions to these current trends. DAMILARE SALAMI 08155134152 was at the conference and he monitored Dr Adumadeyin’s lecture. In this report, he brings you an excerpt from the eye-opening discussion, enjoy.
PARENTS ARE TOO BUSY FOR THEIR CHILDREN
The term charity begins at home is no longer relevant these days; to say most parents don’t have time for their children is an understatement because the reality is that some parents don’t actually know their children again. Let me elaborate on the statement I just made. When I was a teacher in a private school, I had so many experiences of parents displaying ignorance on the kind of children they have. There were so many cases where some children committed grievous offences that we had to summon their parents and when such cases were presented to their parents, you will see such parents defending their children. There was a particular woman in such a situation and sadly enough, the impression she had about her teenage boy was when the boy was just five years old. Because she never had time for her son, she didn’t know that the boy’s behaviour had changed. Parents these days no longer have time for their children because of the perceived busyness of society. There was a case of another parent who didn’t know what their undergraduate son was doing at school until the police brought him home in a handcuff before they got to know that he was a strong member of a secret cult. And when the boy went to his wardrobe to bring out a gun, his parents were left surprised. The reason for all these is simple, we as parents have neglected our basic responsibilities for our children. I will give you the last one, a particular parent told me herself that she didn’t know that her daughter was sick and was almost dying of yellow fever until a teacher from the girl's school sent a message to her asking if she wants her daughter to die. The woman in question was a successful single mother who leaves home early in the morning and comes back home very late at night. This is not exclusive to mothers because there is this assumption that the father’s role is to go and look for money while the mother sees to the wellbeing of the children! No, it is the collective responsibility of the parents to raise morally upright children in society. Everybody has a different role to play; yes, the mother has more but the father’s role too cannot be swept under the carpet. As a father, it is only helpful to give your children the opportunity to contribute to the administration of your household. Most homes don’t have rules guiding them with applicable punishments and that is why it is easy for their children to flout rules outside the home or in the society at large without any fear of reprimand.
THE POWER OF PEER INFLUENCE
there was a time we used to watch a programme on TV called crime fighters. That programme used to display how police arrest armed robbers and their confessions were always taken. One thing that got me shocked is that 98 per cent of the criminals used to confess to the fact that it was their friends that introduced them to crime. Armed robbery, drug abuse, prostitution and what have you, their friends were most likely at the centre of it. And the fault lies with the parents. So many parents don’t even know the kind of friends their children keep, they don’t know their children’s movement and cannot even predict what they are capable of doing, and this is bad enough. Bad company they say corrupts a good manner that is why it is important for parents to know their children’s friends, their homes and parents. A bad apple corrupts a good one, show me your friends and I will tell you who you are; I can go on and on to emphasise how the company your children keep can influence them and change their personality either for good or bad.
EXPOSE YOUR CHILDREN TO RELIGIOUS AND MORAL EDUCATION
So many parents are not religious and they are not interested in making their children grow in their preferred religion. Religion and morals are capable of changing the personality of your children and making them become better and more useful for the community and themselves. Every home needs to try as much as possible to create the fear of God in the minds of their children. If a child fears God, they will always do what is right and be far away from crime. If there is the fear of God in the minds of those youths doing today, they won’t even go near it because they will always think about the eternal consequences of their actions and that will always act as a check and balance for them. Let them have that understanding that there is a supreme being that will punish them for doing bad even if they escape the punishment of their parents and that of the government.
CHASTISE CHILDREN WHEN THEY GO WRONG
Many of these atrocities are being committed out of ignorance. Nobody ever told some of these children that what they are doing is wrong or bad. For example, nobody starts smoking Indian hemp at the age of 40 but when some of them started smoking at a tender age, they probably didn’t have anyone to chastise them and tell them that what they are doing is bad. Some children started at the age of 15 and 16 and they probably don’t know the implication. We need to guide them right and even tell them even before they start indulging themselves in social vices. Today, I know some parents that will come and complain when teachers chastise their children for doing wrong things and that is where it starts from. Today, I know some parents that go about looking for charms to fortify their children so that they can do well in the yahoo business. And when I ask them why they are doing that, they will say that is their only means of livelihood. How do you convince such boys to stop? There are many young boys and girls today who no longer stay at home because they have made money from fraud. Things wouldn’t have gotten this bad if their parents had done the right things from the beginning. I don’t know may be you saw something that trended on social media some weeks ago, some school girls smoking shisha in school uniform. I am sure that is not the first time they are doing that and the first to do that. That just portrays the level of immorality in our society. There is a need for urgent action and we have to start from somewhere, thank you.
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