Schooled by Lagos streets
Beauty, 8, has never been in a school. At 10am, on a Thursday morning, she sells African cherries at the busy Bonny Cantonment in Lagos. There is no adult in sight to tell her that she is breaking the law.
The youngest of three children, Beauty says her father is a "useless man" and that her mother makes sure that all her siblings go out in the morning to hawk their wares."My mama no get time for our school," she says. "All of us now, we dey try bring money so we go see food chop." (My mother has no time for school. We all work to contribute to our daily upkeep). There is weariness in Beauty's face as she speaks. It is a hardness that does not belong in the eyes of one so young.
She would like to be educated. "I wan go school but my mama talk say make I work first," says Beauty. "When money don reach, then I go fit go school." (I want to go to school but my mother says I should work first. When we have made enough money, then maybe I will go to school).Ramota Adebowale, 7, helps her mother in the boli (roasted plantain) trade. She does not go to school.
Mrs. Adebowale, fondly called Mama Ramota', withdrew Ramota from St. David's Primary School, Lafiaji, after a term, saying that it was a waste of time and money."Wetin dem go teach am?" Mama Ramota asks. "She fit sidon here, help me sell boli. That way, she go dey learn busi-ness." (What will they teach her there? She can sit down next to me selling boli and learn how to run her own business). Ramota's mother's logic is this: at age 7, Ramota already has sound arithmetic skills.
She knows exactly how many pieces of roasted plantain a hundred naira note can buy. She can give the right balance for any number of roasted peanuts that you may care to purchase.
The sad thing is that, as far as her mathematics goes, this is probably as good as it will get. When asked if she enjoys selling boli, Ramota stays silent. Her mother prompts her; half cajoling, half threatening."I like it," Ramota replies meekly in Yoruba.
Ramota's story is experienced by millions of other children in Nigeria. A 2008 UNICEF report estimates that about 10 million Nigerian children are out of school. An estimated 50% (4.7 million) of that figure are children of primary school age. Last year, the Lagos state government signed the 2008 Child Rights Act. This Act makes it illegal in Lagos state, from Jan 2009, for children – 16 and below – to be found hawking on the streets during school hours. Now the last week of January, while there is an enforcement of the crash helmet law, there is not enforcement of this ban on hawking by children.
The International colostrum, an NGO, is a group that addresses this issue. The national vice-coordinator of the group, Amos Akonsiyonu, says: "It is very common now to see children hawking their wares rather than going to school. Many are also begging. This exposes children to all kinds of vices in society," he says. "As an organisation, we believe the government is failing our youth."
Terfa Tilley-Gyado
25 January 2009
http://www.234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/1749655-147/NEXTSchooled_by_Lagos_streets.csp
