BY AMBROSE OFEMILE
The word “problem” implies unsettled situation. It is a situation that is not easily or handily resolved which means that, it is a bad situation that is the story of the African child.
An African child is that child that is mainly from the black continent, the child could be from either Nigeria or any other country within the African continent. The black child is beset with a history of sad tales, from conception to transition.
These problems start from 5 or 6am” every morning when the child has to get up in the early hours to go to school. While one child is blessed to be going to school in the first place, another child is not so blessed for he starts off the day, pushed by events not his making, to go earn a hiring, either for his own survival or that of others, or both.
Elsewhere, another child is introduced to preparatory classes after normal school hours and after school lessons, the question I keep asking is, what happened to the national drama, music and sports competitions, but I have never gotten an answer. And I also keep asking this question, when do this child rest, when does child play, why is that child called a child? Is it from obesity, and its related health problems to exposure to inappropriate television programmes and internet pages, to sexual abuse, or by relatives and other caregivers or house-helps to whom we entrust our children? It is to general lack of social skills, recently, saw a video tape that features a primary school party and stars, a little girl not more than 10 years old dancing with a boy who looks a bit younger than her for me.
I have no words to describe the way she was dancing, it was highly sexual and supper obscene and extremely stomach turning, is that African child not in grave danger? This is a child who is housed, fed, clothed, and educated, but obviously not parented.
However as parents, teachers and guidance of the future of our country, we need to be careful that we are not dropping the ball on our children, we do a lot of things ostensibly for the good of our children, and our families.
But we need to occasionally step back and really, evaluate our actions. We will be foolish to be meeting at grand’s hotel to solve the problem of street children, when there are more pressing problems like child labour, child trafficking, poverty and unparenting .
Secondly, I believe talent alone will not make a success, Neither will being at the right time, unless you are ready. The important question is that, are the African Children ready? Are they ready to seize the opportunity now? On your marks! Get ready! I am also confident that there is a door of opportunity flung open, they should get ready to run into it infact, if the opportunity does not come, they should make one, because they are ready.
If they have developed their talents, they should not wait for their ship to come in. they should swim cut to it, that is, the child has to dig a well before he/she is history.
Also, the African Child, should improve his/her self for life even big organization hunts for competent hands. In life, and as a child we have to learn yearn, and earn. And every child yearning power should be greater than his/her earning power. An African Child have to yearn for leaving to increase his/her earning. They should put their best into life, and life will give them its best.
Finally, I believe one day not far away, every child in Africa will live a healthy life, and contribute to the emergence of a peaceful, democratic and prosperous African that can overcome marginalization in a globalizing world.
