FROM BETHLEHEM GIRLS COLLEGE WITH TEARS AND LESSONS(1)

PICTURES 2-3 TAKEN AT THE SITE OF ABULE-ADO EXPLOSION

On Tuesday, March 17, 2020, I made a trip to the site of Abule Ado Explosion in company of two of my colleagues, representing the best interest of our constituency of 23 years, our precious children and the family and others institutions, who provide care for them.

Our singular goal was to see things for ourselves and interview witnesses. We were interested in the cause of the explosion, the proximity of the school to the pipeline, the events of the fateful day, the internal system put in place in Securing A FRIENDLY and PROTECTIVE Environment™ for the precious children of the school.

Our trip was fruitful and this week I will share with you the flooding thoughts of my heart as we return from the site.

If I am not able to conclude this piece today, I will have to do a part 2 next week God’s willing.

By way of reintroduction, I am Taiwo AKINLAMI and I live in the most populous nation on the North of the River Limpopo and South of the Sahara, where our precious children are either treated as throphies or as spoils and not necessarily as objects of affection, appreciation and care.

I am a man of sorrow, acquainted with grief for I live in the midst of a people, majority of whose souls and conscience seem to be seared with hot iron in providing care and meeting yearning, hopes and aspirations of their precious children.

I live in the midst of a people who seem not to be aware that there is a future, that our precious children are the future and the future begins now with the way we treat our precious children.

According to Nelson Mandela, ‘there can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.’

The soul of our society is revealed in the fact that children are on the back burner of almost every of our conversations.

It is my constant point sorrow and concern that a people who have no regard for their precious children and pour their innocent blood as libation on their selfishly erected altar of personal ambition and greed have no regard for anyone.

Thus I agree with Mahatma Ghandi that ‘the world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed.’ Therefore anywhere you see needs like we see today in our land towards our precious children, it is because of the greed of their primary and secondary caregivers.

The real challenge today is, who will plead the cause of the precious Nigerian child?

Our distinguished women and precious children are said to be the most marginalized globally and their causes must be in the front burner of our public and private conscience and consciousness of us all. But permit me to submit that women can still speak for themselves and they are already doing that and getting some attention and results, though there are still so many rivers to be caused.

Children are the only ones, who cannot plead their own cause independently without the support of the adults in their lives.

Still fresh in our memory is June 16, 1976 when the precious black children in Soweto South Africa led series of demonstrations against the ‘introduction of Afrikaans as the medium of instructions in local schools.’ According to Wikipedia ‘it is estimated that 20,000 students took part in the protests.They were met with fierce police brutality…’ leaving between 176 and 700 precious children killed and about 4,000 injured. June 16 is today a public holiday in South Africa, named Youth Day and it is celebrated as the Day of the African Child.

Children are too are not designed to fight their rights themselves or take bullets for same and but when they are pushed to the walls and they do in a place like the North of the River Limpopo and South of the Sahara, they are met with either hostilities at home, punishment in schools and religious places of worship and police brutality when they dare to go to the streets.

All I am trying to let you see is the way Africa treats her precious children. The June 16 response of the state has not changed. It may even be worse today.

I think I rest my case here today and I shall continue next week.

I am Taiwo AKINLAMI and I remain Sober on My Knees this LORD’s day as I do SOCIAL PROTECTION ADVOCACY now and forevermore.