Children, Greatest Assets Of A Nation – OGBUAGU

The President and Members of UPU, Minnesota, USA,

The Chairman of the 21^st Anniversary Organizing Committee,

Special Guest of Honour – Prof. & Prof. Mrs. Eric Arubayi, Vice Chancellor,

Delta State University, Abraka, Delta State, Nigeria.

The President and Members of the Anioma Association of Minnesota, Distinguished Guests,

Gentlemen of the Press,

Ladies & Gentlemen.

It is with great sense of humility, joy, and gratitude to God Almighty that I stand before this august gathering to say these few words of welcome. I am immensely grateful to my cousin Mr. Atare Agbamu and the President and Members of the UPU Minnesota, USA, for inviting me to grace today’s ceremony as the chairman.

This is a ceremony that is very dear to my heart. A ceremony that is geared towards fundraising for the purchase of a 14-seater bus for the inmates of       St. Anne’s Orphanage Effurun, Delta State, Nigeria. This goes a long way to show the interest UPU Minnesota, USA, has for the less privileged. In the words of Mother Teresa; “we have only today to make Jesus known, loved, served, fed, clothed, sheltered. Do not wait for tomorrow.” Whatsoever we do now to the least of our brothers, we do unto God. I say a big welcome to all of us.

As the chairman, permit me to share some experiences with you as they concern the welfare of our children back home. It is a fact that presently, Nigerian children are passing through difficult times, as a result of many parents living in abject poverty. Most parents especially mothers; no longer spend quality time with their children. They leave their homes as early as 6.00am to bush markets before their children wake-up in the morning. They usually return to their homes between 7.00 – 8.00pm in the evening. Parents are too busy with their jobs during the weekdays and during the weekends when they are supposed to be at home with their children, they are busy attending social club meetings, political meetings or burial ceremonies. Some parents do not even know the class teachers of their children. Most children are poorly fed and dressed.

Some parents engage their children in all kinds of labour. These children work as hard as their parents in order to earn enough money for family survival, rather than been sent to school to be taught to read and write. It is not un-common these days to see children in the cities, towns and villages hawking on the streets. An observation of the highway from Sapele to Effurun, Agbarho, Ughelli roadsides and motor parks during school hours give an indication that our children no longer value schooling. In such cases, schooling takes the back seat. Girls and boys are engaged in hawking wares.

It is not a shocking news to read that 10.5 million Nigerian children within school age are out of school, accounting for 47 percent of the worlds out of school children. A recent survey conducted by leading opinion poll and research organization has confirmed claims by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO] that Nigeria has the highest number of children out of school. Many youths in the Niger Delta have fancied the gains of becoming militants and kidnappers, than struggling to go to school. If militants could be paid money through amnesty and kidnappers could make millions of naira on release of their victims, why then, must they go to school to learn, suffer through school and become un-employed. This is their stand.

Many of our sons are in different cults. Student cultism is perhaps one of the greatest problems confronting our tertiary institutions today in Nigeria. It is so worrisome that it has spread to secondary [and even primary] schools in the country and it should be enough to give every caring parent a cause to lose sleep.

The education system of Nigeria has faced a lot of challenges and operational bias. Today, many of our primary, secondary and tertiary institutions are shadows of their old selves.

–          Buildings poorly maintained;

–          Classes and lecture halls are overcrowded;

–          Science practicals are conducted only a few weeks to Senior School Certificate Examination, just to prepare students for the examination practicals;

–          School libraries are poor, students hardly read outside their scanty notes as reading culture is no more;

–          Students lack discipline;

–          Teachers make learning uninteresting since many of them are so poorly prepared that they do not know the subject better than the students they teach;

–          No electricity and water supply in most schools;

–          No sporting facilities;

–          Cultism;

–          Truancy;

–          Absenteeism;

–          Examination malpractice etc.

The right of the child to education does not begin and end with attending school. What is being taught in school, who is teaching the children, how well the children progresses in school are just as important.

Nigeria at 53 cannot boast of sound and qualitative education. In Nigeria today a very disturbing and worrisome problem is the declining quality of teachers due to decline in the quality of teacher training. Many primary school teachers simply do not know what to teach because they are not more literate than the pupils they are supposed to teach. In the past few years, Nigeria’s policy makers have made significant changes designed to produce Nigeria’s least experienced and least qualified teachers. Today, Nigeria has her own unique ways of preparing teachers with the proliferation of educational institutions and the introduction of part-time, weekend and sandwich programmes characterized by the lowering of entry qualification into schools, the performance of products from most of the institutions began to fall below expectation.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP went on strike a few months ago. They were demanding for more funding for teaching facilities and research, better welfare for teachers and improvements in the administrative structures of their institutions. Nigerian universities continue to churn out unemployable graduates because of lack of training facilities in the institutions. Employers have consistently decried the quality of the graduates being turned out by the tertiary education system.

Recently, the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities disclosed that, Nigerians spend an average of N75billion [$500m] annually on schooling in European and American Universities. According to a communiqué issued at the end of a two-day Consultative Policy Dialogue on “the Future and Relevance of the Nigerian Universities and other Tertiary Institutions”, organized by CVC and Trust Africa, Dakar, they noted that the amount was about 70 percent of the total allocation in 2008 to all federal universities. This was an indication of the loss of faith in Nigerian universities as shown by the rush for foreign institutions, even to other African countries. The global ranking of Nigerian universities have nose-dived considerably.

What is happening today in Nigeria could be described as “season of child-defilement.” Rape has become a national concern. Although, various societies have had to live with it, all through the ages, its sudden increase in Nigeria, spreads fear across the land. Almost every day, we read on pages of newspapers cases of girls/daughters raped by men or their fathers. It is even more worrisome when the act is carried out by supposedly men of God. In 2012, statistics presented by the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice disclosed that 427 rape cases were recorded in the state last year, through the office of Public Defence. Dr. [Mrs.] Omolara Smith has at a forum, convened to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Gender-Based Violence in 2012, said that cases of rape have gone up from 12.5 percent to 84 percent in Nigeria.

In January, 2013, a report by the Child Protection Network, a child rights advocacy group, listed 95 child rape cases in five Northern States. The report, which did not indicate a time frame over which the incidents occurred, had Gombe State at the top of the chart with 50 cases. Kano was next with 22, while Bauchi, Plateau and Nasarawa had 11, eight and four cases, respectively.

In 1996, an orphanage home was established in Ogun State to provide home for orphans, abused and abandoned children. Today, the home has become a threat to orphans who live there. Minors in the orphanage are raped by the founder. One of the minors showed up at school early this year, with blood dripping down her legs. When questioned by the school officials, the minor said that “Daddy has been having sex with at least 10 of us”. They are between the ages of eight and fourteen.”

In Enugu State, a young man of 18 years is known for raping old women and widows in Opi Town, Nsukka Local Council. A pastor who runs a church in Mbesie, Imo State raped a 13-year-old boy through his anus.

In Edo state, a pastor with the Deeper Life Bible Church, Abudu, was arrested for having carnal knowledge of two girls: Joy, 9 and Anthonia, 11. The Pastor confessed that he defiled both girls. He said that he was possessed by evil spirit to commit that act. In Benue State, members of a gang are known for robbing and raping women. A victim was said to have been rapped in presence of her father.

In Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, Government has threatened to prosecute parents who are in the habit of covering up cases of rape and defilement of young girls. The wife of the governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, expressed worry over the reported cases of rape and the defilement of young girls in various parts of the state. Ekiti State government has opened a black book, called the Sexual Offender Register, where a list of convicted sexual offenders are compiled and registered in the government gazette.

In Ibadan, a 30-year-old man was remanded in prison for allegedly raping three minors. In Port Harcourt, the Chairman of all Bishops in Rivers State was arrested for allegedly raping a 15-year-old girl. The Bishop who confessed to the crime before newsmen, said he was hypnotized, and that he was set up by the pastor of the church where the incident occurred.

In Osogbo a middle-aged man was arraigned in an Osogbo Chief Magistrate Court over alleged rape of his 12-year-old biological daughter. In Calabar, a thirty-year-old man was described as addicted to raping young girls. In Lagos, three men impregnated a 13-year-old student through serial rape.

In Ado Ekiti, a 40-year-old school proprietor was nabbed by the police for allegedly having canal knowledge of 11-year-old pupil. The school proprietor offered to convey the victim to their respective homes, in his private car. On his way home, he suddenly stopped the car on the pretext that he wanted to defecate, but with alleged intention to defile the girl. After five to 10 minutes in the bush, the proprietor called the pupil to bring tissue paper for him. But unfortunately for him, someone was watching. And out of curiosity, the man went there and met two of them naked. He then raised alarm which attracted people to the spot.

In Abeokuta, a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, was arrested for allegedly raping a 12-year-old maid. Explaining how he committed the offence, the alleged rapist said he used cloth to cover the victim’s mouth before he could have carnal knowledge of the girl. He further confessed that after the act, he warned her against revealing the secret while he gave her pain killer tablets. The girl came home crying, and told her mother that, she was no more interested in staying with Daddy Favour. The embattled pastor, who is also a commercial photographer, confessed to the crime, saying he was influenced by the devil.

Recently, the Lagos State Police Command arrested a woman who allegedly defiled a two-and-a-half-year-old girl in Ilupeju area of Lagos. The suspect, identified as a teacher allegedly inserted a fork into the little girl’s private part. The toddler arrived home crying. In an attempt to pacify her, her mother took her to the bathroom for a shower. But immediately she reached out to wash the baby’s private part, the kindergarten baby reportedly wailed. The curious mother took a closer look at her child, and the child revealed the alleged deed by her teacher in school. The mother reported the case to the police. To ascertain the toddler’s claim, all the teachers in the school were paraded before the child to identify the culprit, in the process of which she pointed at the teacher.

A seventeen-year-old girl in Umuezei area of Asaba was gang raped by 7 rapists in October, 2012. The victim, a sales girl with a hotel in Asaba closed from her work between 11-12 midnight when the suspects dragged her to an uncompleted building and rapped her one after the other. In Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, a 35-year-old man defiled a six-years-old girl. Another victim 18-year-old girl was raped to death by some youths in Yenagoa.

In March 21, 2013, a seven-year-old girl confessed how her father has been having carnal knowledge of her since she was six. Aside this, the 49-year-old father also had carnal knowledge of his one-year-three-month-old grand-daughter, in their one room apartment, No. 13, Kolawole Street, Ejigbo, Lagos. The seven-year-old girl confessed that her father usually committed the sacrilege whenever her mother was away. According to the primary three pupil, “every time my mother was not at home, my father will call me, dip his finger into my anus and his manhood inside my virginal. He would then promise to buy me biscuit and toy cars if I did not tell anybody. There is no Sunday that he did not do it.”

Asked why she did not tell her mother, she replied: “Anytime I wanted to tell my mother, he would hold my mouth and remind me of the things he promised me.” But I would challenge him that he had never bought any of the things for me. At times when he finished and I threatened to tell my mother, he would tell me he would pluck out my eyes if I told anyone. “Sometimes, he would even beat me whenever I attempted to open my mouth and also beat my mother with cane.” The wife reported the incidence to her husband’s parents but they turned against her saying she was lying.

The height of the abominable act happened when the woman came home and met her one-year-three-month-old grand-daughter crying. In a bid to pacify her, she took her to the backyard for a bath only to discover that her pamper was stained with blood and semen. Asked why she did not make an effort to protect her female children against such abuse she explained that she usually left her daughter and grand-daughter in a crèche until she return home at about 6p.m.

On that fateful day, she travelled to Abuja for a catering job. The husband went to the school and requested to pick the children. Even when they resisted, he picked quarrel with them, asking if he had no right to pick his children. On reaching home, he sent the eldest daughter and her brother who is nine to go and buy bread. When they returned, they met the net-door locked. “While they were waiting for their father to open the door, the baby was yelling inside. Neighbours at this point became suspicious because they were aware of his antecedents. They banged on the door. When the man opened the door, he was sweating. They rescued the baby from him. The baby cried from 3p.m to 6p.m. The case was reported to the police. Both children were taken to the hospital for medical test. The result showed that, both of them had their hymen broken. While the report of the seven-year-old read: “normal virginal and vulva, broken hymen [disvirgined]”, that of the one-year-three-month-old baby read: “bruised perineum, hymen broken, absent.” The man confessed saying: “I swear I did not know what is wrong with me. I believe this is not real. I believe something above the natural is using me to achieve its devilish purpose.”

The tales are endless. The question everywhere is: Why the rising incidence of rape? As long as rape victims and their parents refuse to show interest in prosecuting the case, the offenders will go free and more of such crime will happen. As it is today, offenders are not punished because the victims are not willing to come forward to assist the police in prosecuting offenders.

Teenage pregnancy is on the increase due to poverty. Many young girls are forced to fend for themselves early in life and take jobs which invariably expose them to men constantly, some parents even encourage their daughters to associate with men directly or indirectly for financial gains. When a teenage girl becomes pregnant, her schooling is inevitably disrupted. Teenage pregnancy is the foundation of “ignorant mothers bearing ignorant children for an ignorant nation, perpetuating a culture of poverty, ignorance, moral decay, and economic under-development.”

Menance of baby factory is fast becoming a new crime trend in some South-East states. This is another kind of kidnapping where babies are snatched at point of birth and sold. It is a big shame, a big problem and it all boils down to the kind of values we have in the society today. “Life is not valued.”  In Umuahia, the Abia State Command of Directorate of State Service, DSS, rescued 16 pregnant girls from a “baby factory” in Aba. It was discovered that a charity home lure girls with unwanted pregnancy, encourage and assist them to carry their pregnancies to full term. Upon delivery, the girls are given a paltry sum of N50,000 and sent away while their babies are sold to people from different parts of the country.

The police in Port Harcourt, River State paraded a fake In Vitro Fertilization [IVF] treatment service provider, Dr. Chinyere Emeka Precious for allegedly inducing fake pregnancies. What he does is to hypnotize women looking for the fruit of the womb, and to make them believe that they are pregnant.  They will then be placed on treatment for nine months before delivery, this syndicate makes arrangements to procure the babies, and once the arrangement clicks, they will take the women to the theatre or labour room. At this point now, they will inject her with drugs that will make her unconscious; when that is done, she will now be laced with blood all over her body, including her private parts. The same blood will also be used on the child, so when she regains consciousness they will now handover the baby to her, claiming that she has delivered. Then they will start the second round of treatment to deflate her stomach. This practice has been going on for so many years. The police found innocent women from as far as Abuja, Kaduna, Calabar among others, all under going the quick fertility treatment. These things are done at an exorbitant price. Prices range between N1.5 million to N6 million per child.

The police recovered another factory in May, 2013 in Enugu. A middle-aged man was involved in the running of the factory where young expectant girls were kept and delivered of their babies. The babies after delivery were given out to those in need of children. The man had been in the business for five years, he said the business was geared towards helping childless couples who can afford to buy the babies. He further confessed carrying out the deliveries in one of the rooms of his apartment where a traditional labour room was set. He admitted that, he is not a medical doctor but does his things traditionally.

In May, 2013, 17 pregnant teenage girls, aged between 14 and 17, were found in a fake motherless babies’ home in Imo State, where they had been put by the proprietor. They were all allegedly impregnated by the same man, and their babies were going to be sold off to waiting buyers.  Some parents sell their babies to make ends meet. A father confessed to the police that, he had accommodation problem; and so he suggested to his wife to sell their baby for N300,000 to get a house. When interrogated by the police, he said, “the baby is mine and I did not steal it.”

The worst happened in the month of July, 2013 when the Senate amended Section 28[4b] of the constitution, resolving to retain its provision that a married underage girl is deemed to be an adult. With the teeming number of teenage pregnancies and the social health hazards that we are alreading battling with, one wonders if our law makers are really thinking at all. What baffled me most was that some Senators cried and regretted the support they gave to under-age marriage in the name of religion, saying that they were blackmailed. A Senator claimed that he mistakenly pressed “NO” instead of “YES” during the electronic voting exercise thinking that he was voting against child marriage.

Urhobo nation must say “NO” to child marriage; it is worst than child abuse. I wish to call on Nigerians in diaspora to use their influence to petition the United Nations to stop the Nigerian Senate “From Making Under-Age Marriage the Law.” We should remember that today’s children are tomorrow’s leaders and parents as well. If the children of today are over-burdened, abused and neglected, sick and malnourished, illiterate and uneducated mentally, spiritually and physically undeveloped, it is impossible to expect them to be productive or effective on the future roles that we expect them to play in Nigeria.

The time has come for us to save our children. We must all rise up to this challenge. You should endeavour to take a keen interest in affecting your communities positively back at home. Help initiate programmes for the health and education of children within your communities and also for the general welfare of the Urhobo nation.

Today, we are proud to say that, the Urhobo nation has a leader with a vision, who is focused and calculated. He is no other person than the President General of UPU, Major – General Patrick Aziza [Rtd.] He is working round the clock to move the Urhobo nation to an enviable height. Major Aziza’s leadership of UPU is determined to build bridges across all the ethnic groups of the country for the benefit of the future of our children and to advance the political prospects of the Urhobo. He facilitated two important meetings recently to Arewa Consultative Forum in Kaduna as well as a visit to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, to press home the needs of Urhobo nation. The visits was for the benefit of the Urhobo people. Major General Aziza is God sent. He was sent to unite the Urhobo people; we must be united in the struggle for a better place.

We believe in his abilities and capability. Urhobo sons and daughters home and abroad must rally round him and give him full support to re-position the Urhobo nation to the admiration of all. We are the fifth largest ethnic group in Nigeria and the largest in Delta State. Urhobos are known for their industry, resourcefulness, and hospitality. Major General Patrick Aziza [Rtd.], and the entire Urhobo nation send their greetings.

Before I end this address, I must not forget to thank the president and members of the Anioma Association of Minnesota.  I say a big thank you to you all. Thank you for sending a special dance group to perform and support the Urhobo Progressive Union [UPU], of Minnesota. We are all one, beautiful people, promoting oneness, unity and love in our great Delta State. I must also not forget to thank the president and members of the UPU, Minnesota, USA, for their good works in reaching out to the less privileged.

I also wish to thank all our distinguished guests from many twin-cities – based [Minnesota], emissaries from governments and business for finding time to attend this ceremony. I thank most especially Prof. & Prof. Mrs. Eric Arubayi, a most distinguished son of Urhobo. They have come all the way from Nigeria to support the vision of the UPU, Minnesota, USA. May the good Lord richly bless you all as you donate generously towards the purchase of the 14-seater school bus. In addition, UPU, Minnesota will stuff the school bus with supplies [clothing, school suppliers, toys, etc] for the children.

Government should show more commitment in assisting the less privileged in the country. Most homes are run by missions and private individuals. Individuals alone cannot adequately run orphanages without external support.

It will not be out of place if government makes allocations in their budget to orphanage homes. Without the government and support of the people it will be quite difficult for those managing it.

UPU, Minnesota began supporting St. Anne’s Orphanage about six years ago. God bless UPU, Minnesota.

The Bishop of Warri Diocese His Lordship, Most Rev. Dr. John Oke Afareha sends his greetings and blessings. The Administrator of St. Anne’s Orphanage, Rev. Sister Mary Usifo and the children, equally send their greetings. The children on getting a school bus, will burst with joy.

We must all support a noble project of this nature. Children are the greatest assets of any nation and the foundation on which the future of nations are built. They are the future leaders and so the best investment any nation makes on children, is worth making. Please we appeal to everyone present here to help the UPU Minnesota, achieve their dream. Do this for the sake of Jesus Christ and be rest assured He will replenish your purse in a million fold.