African Youth - fulfilling the potential

We came from different backgrounds, from different parts of Africa, but all with one goal - to change the continent, to improve our society, and for our voices to be heard! We are the restless youth. 

I was delighted to be chosen as a youth communicator at the above event by Restless Development, a youth based agency in the United Kingdom. It was an eye-opening experience in which I met 15 dynamic youth delegates and 3 youth communicators, all with our own stories on how we strived to be heard in our respective society, all passionate about Youth development, all working in our own little space to create the change needed. 

Prior to the Forum a training session was held on why we were here, the problems we faced in our countries and what we hoped to achieve at the Forum. The theme of the event: African Youth- fulfilling the potential, focussed on the three main challenges to the economic and social development of Africa's youth - Education, Employment and Civil participation. After deliberation we came up with a summary of what we wanted in the near future for African Youth - Youth empowerment, entrepreneurship development, quality and quantitative education and Youth participation in governance. We were of one voice, that youth be part and parcel of the decision-making policies meant for youths. 

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation award/Forum was attended by over four hundred high profile guests from civil society, government, business enterprises and multi-lateral institutions from across Africa. It was also an avenue to bestow honour on Archbishop Desmond Tutu for "speaking truth to power". Lots of programmes were lined up to discuss how African Youth can fulfill their potential.

The first programme, an Intergenerational Dialogue connecting the TUTU fellows, elders and youth, was on how Youth can be involved in governance in Africa, ensuring Gender equality in youth leadership, on how education systems contribute to developing youth leadership, and on how elders can support transitions and cultural shifts in society and the role of the state, civil society and media. The Elders believe that African Youth have potential but they have to develop themselves as "Self confidence comes with the opportunity of expressing yourself". The Tutu Fellows asked what development can African Youth offer? James Mwangi said that the challenge is on youth to determine what they want, find the space and strive for excellence. Ibrahim Niang of The Youth was of the opinion that we need to visit our school programmes in Africa. The key problem is that we don't know the model of personality we want to build. Isaac Mwapipo said that the young should be perceived as core players in governance and that power and decision-making resides in the youth. We all agreed that the 'Elders, youth, and the media are important tools in developing Africa and we must look for ways to harness them together.' 

The next programme was panel discussions on the event theme, divided into three sessions to cover the three core elements. The former President of Nigeria, President Olusegun Obasanjo, introduced the first Panel session saying that African Youth should not be seen as liabilities but assets to the continent. He said that in his own generation they had opportunities but no facilities but in this generation, we have facilities but no opportunities thus, African Youth should look for ways to create these opportunities by making good use of the facilities that they have.

The second panel session on Ensuring African Youth competitiveness developing the right skills and providing adequate tools was headed by Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. He said 'there are many economic opportunities in Africa but they are hindered by corruption.' The consensus among the panellists was that African Governments should unite and create employment by developing their own continent instead of exporting and importing to western countries. Also that, when the government listen to the youth, they can be mobilized for peace, stability & economic growth of the continent.

The Final panel session, 'Acquiring Social and Political Responsibility', headed by former President of Botswana Festus Mogae, we agreed that Youth should hold government more accountable.....even more so, that youth should take part in active governance and development and take the revolution to the street.

African Leaders are aware of the problems facing African Youth - according to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 'young people should never stop dreaming because they are the Hope of Africa.' In addition, Mo Ibrahim said that Africa has gone through a lot of challenges but we are still standing strong and the youth have to stand up for themselves and not wait for the government. We should identify the potential Labour market as a youth BY creating one. The Prime Minister of Senegal, Abdoul Mbaye, said that the future of the continent is tantamount to the future of the youth.

At the end of the forum my horizon has being broadened and I see myself as a person who must not be limited by background and society. I see that African youth are great and we can create a world we want if we define our goals and work in unity to achieve them. We need innovative, risk taking young leaders who can start the change in their own little space. 

So what are you doing to change your society? Are you a liability or an asset to this generation?

Youths were represented from Morocco (Iman Benjelloun), Tunisia (Fedi Bahri), Egypt (Hend Sallam), South Sudan(James Ochan), Ghana (Lily Mensah), the Gambia(Kaddijatuo Manneh), Tanzania (Adam Abraham), Uganda (Joel Bamwise), Ethiopia (Yeabisra Bogale),DRC (Prince Wilondja), Cameroun (Zoneziwoh Mbonduglo), South Africa (Aviwe Motsoane), Zambia (Christabel Machila and Isaac Mwaipopo), Zimbabwe (Mthulisi Moyo), Kenya(Alfred Mdumo), Also, part of the youth delegate were two disable people, Fedi and James from Africa Youth With Disabilities Network(AYWDN). 

http://inspire.nayd.org/2012/11/african-youth-fulfilling-potential.html

Nigeria rated as worst country to be born in while Switzerland is the best-EIU

The advanced world conducts all manners of research, most times to confirm a pre-determined belief or mindset. Worse still, there are hardly global monitors to validate either the process or the outcome of such researches. One of such researches has been conducted with Nigeria as one of the countries focused on. And the result, expectedly, is a damning verdict on Nigeria.  

The country is known for many things, some good and admittedly, some bad. In recent times, there have been a number of research reports completed by international organisations and the results have not been favourable to Nigeria.

In October 2012, the African Insurance Organisation ranked Nigeria as the “Kidnap-for-Ransom Capital of the World,” accounting for 25 per cent of global kidnappings. Somalia, which had been in the business of sea piracy and kidnappings long before Nigeria joined the 'league', has long been overtaken by Nigeria according to the rating.  In June 2012, the Global Peace Index ranked Nigeria as the sixth most dangerous African country to live in. Each time such results are released, it is usually followed by debates on various online platforms with many questioning the authenticity of the results.

Yesterday, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a sister company of The Economist magazine, released results of its 2013 Where-to-be-born Index. This time, Nigeria is ranked as No. 80 out of the 80 countries assessed,  making it the worst country to be born in among the countries analysed. Put differently, Nigeria is the least or even the last place the sampled respondents would want to be born.

In the “Where-To-Be-Born Index” 2013, Nigeria has the lowest score of 4.74 points, placing her at the 80th position.  Nigeria is the worst place for a baby to enter the world in 2013, says the survey.

Despite their strong economies, none of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) scores impressively. Among the African countries on the list, South Africa, which was ranked 53 on the list, comes first with 5.89 points followed by Algeria in the 54th position and with 5.86 points.

According to the EIU, the research “earnestly attempts to measure which country will provide the best opportunities for a healthy, safe and prosperous life in the years ahead”. Its quality-of-life index links the results of subjective life-satisfaction surveys—how happy people say they are—to objective determinants of the quality of life across countries. Being rich helps more than anything else, but it is not all that counts; things like crime, trust in public institutions and the health of family life matter too.

In all, the index takes 11 statistically significant indicators into account. They are a mixed bunch: some are fixed factors, such as geography; others change only very slowly over time (demography, many social and cultural characteristics); and some factors depend on policies and the state of the world economy. All things considered, the socio-economic condition of a country helps to determine how satisfied or hopeful a people can be.

In a related development, Switzerland takes top spot, followed by Australia at No.2 and Norway at No. 3.The index ranks Switzerland as the best country to be born in with 8.22 points.

Small economies dominate the top ten, with Hong Kong the only other Asian economy to appear at number 10 in the list. Singapore was listed at the sixth position in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Where-to-be-born index, 2013.

The United States came in at No.16 while the United Kingdom came in at No. 27. The Netherlands came in at No. 8 and is the only country from the Euro zone. Susan Evans, an analyst for the Economist Intelligence Unit said both Hong Kong and Singapore are well-known for their wealth, stability and relatively low levels of corruption.

"One determining factor of future life satisfaction for their residents, which is less easy to predict, will be the trajectory of civic freedoms," she said.

Germany and France came in at No.16 and No. 26 respectively.

While the validity of the research may be a subject of intense debate among stakeholders, many believe they should serve as wake-up calls for the nation's leaders. Those who so believe argue that while the ratings may not be accurate readings of the Nigerian polity, they indeed serve as rough projections of the feelings of the Nigerians.

source-
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/eiu-rates-nigeria-worst-country-to-be-born-in/131476/
http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20121123-385297.html

Only Primary Schools Can Save Our Varsities - NUC

Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission, NUC, Prof. Julius Okojie, said yesterday that little or nothing could be done to effect positive changes in the country's university education system, unless there was urgent improvement in primary and post-primary school systems.

Okojie, who spoke at the 1st anniversary of celebration/decoration of Patron of National Anti-Corruption Volunteer Corps, NAVC, in Abuja, noted that emphasis should be laid on primary and secondary schools, which are the basic foundation of any education system.

Represented by Prof. Akaneren Essien, the NUC boss maintained that issue of corruption should be looked into right from the appointment of political office holders. He said the appointment should be based on antecedents and not a political patronage.

source-http://allafrica.com/stories/201211210725.html

Many Disabled Kids Not in School in South Africa

At least 467,000 disabled children are not attending school, Deputy Minister for Children Hendriette Bagopane-Zulu said on Wednesday. "This year alone, we have 467,000 children of school going age who are not getting an education," she said in Johannesburg.

"We have a mandate to reduce that and we are working with the department of basic education on that." She was speaking at the hand-over of an equality report to the department by the SA Human Rights Commission. Bagopane-Zulu said special schools were not the only solution to ensuring that disabled children had access to a quality education. Children with certain disabilities should be attending the same schools as able children. "You don't need disabled kids [being] subjected to special schools."

With November being identified as "disability month", the SAHRC launched the equality report, highlighting some of government's shortfalls in realising and attaining the rights of people with disabilities. "Children who are severely and profoundly disabled are denied access to education in both mainstream and special schools," said commissioner Bokankatla Malatji when delivering the report.

According to research by the commission, about 10 percent of children with disabilities were not attending school in South Africa. The commission also pointed out that government had failed to comply with the obligations of the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD) and was yet to submit its report. The commissioner said despite some progress by the government, the commission was of the view that a lot more had to be done.

The deputy minister acknowledged some of the shortcomings, admitted that there were policies and programmes in place, but said putting them into practice was a problem. She said the report by the commission would assist the department in working through all its challenges.

"We accept the report and will process the contents thereof."

source-http://allafrica.com/stories/201211211239.html

UNN Introduces I-Transcript Service

The University of Nigeria Nsukka has introduced online portal for transcripts that enables her alumni to access their transcripts from anywhere in the world.  According to the The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof BarthoOkolo, the UNN i-transcript service draws from on-going work on digitizing academic records in the institution. The first part of the exercise, according to him, involves digitization of records of the last 30 years up to 1980. The school has digitized records of students' academic work for the last 20 years. In the second phase, the institution would compile records up to its inception in 1960.

The University disclosed that the introduction of the service was to ease the burden of students who often have to travel all the way down to the school for the sole purpose of getting a transcript of their academic records for graduate studies or employment.

The UNN "i-transcript", as it is branded, is accessible on the university website alumni.unn.edu.ng/itranscript.

Users are expected fill a form with their names, matriculation as well as email address after which they will provide details of the institution to which they want the University to send the transcript. 

"Every student can get his records from the transcript portal. They apply online, pay using any of the payment services and get a signed and authenticated e-transcript in a few days. "Hard copy records would be couriered either locally or internationally and take a few more days as well as cost additional sums." he explained.

Okolo said that the e-transcript service is one of several reforms aimed at fulfilling the transformation vision for the university. It builds on efforts in the last two academic sessions to ensure that graduands get their certificates immediately while semester examination results are compiled and approved by faculties and senate within 14 days of examinations ending.

Meanwhile, Prof BarthoOkolo, the 12th and current Vice Chancellor, has articulated a new vision of internationalizing the university by turning it into a world-class institution with the enabling environment of infrastructure, faculty and learning environment, funding and international linkages.

source-http://allafrica.com/stories/201211210331.html?aa_source=acrdn-f0

INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR TOLERANCE November 16th 2012

Breaking down the walls that divide our society today comes at a high price, one that we have to pay in order to fulfill the dream of a just and equal society for all. Respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world's cultures, our forms of expression and our ways of being human are fostered by knowledge, openness and communication, the freedom of thought, conscience and belief. 

Teachings of tolerance consider harmony and indifference not as a moral duty but a political and legal requirement. This is a virtue that replaces a culture of war with a culture of peace. By confronting prejudicial ignorance with knowledge, discord with tolerance, isolation with the outstretched hand of generosity, accepting one another in the same walk, we take a step towards achieving that dream of building a better world. It is evident that this cannot be accomplished overnight but it takes greater investments to strengthen commitment to it.

The World Assembly of Youth (WAY) joins the world today to commemorate tolerance. Our guiding principle of seeking peace and development through working with youth, teaching and promoting tolerance, increasing inter-ethnic and inter-cultural respect as well as international understanding further comes to light on such days. Young men and women get informed, inspired, and educated not only as the people of today but also as the generation of the future. We believe that education for tolerance should aim at countering influences that lead to fear and exclusion of others. This should help young people to develop capacities for independent judgment, critical thinking and ethical reasoning.

Tolerance is necessary between individuals and at the family and community levels. Tolerance promotion and the shaping of attitudes of openness, mutual listening and solidarity should take place in schools and universities and through non-formal education, at home and in the workplace. The
communication media are in a position to play a constructive role in facilitating free and open dialogue and discussion, disseminating the values of tolerance, and highlighting the dangers of indifference towards the rise in intolerant groups and ideologies. 

Let the world today, judge only by the content of our character, not by any distinction such as color, sex, language, religion, political, national,social or other status.

Press Release by World Assembly of Youth (WAY)

Beyond Your Certificate- What can you Do?

Do you know that “Job readiness” is lacking in Nigeria, Kenya and Egypt?

Do you know that Sectors that drive GDP growth do not create the most jobs?
Do you know that The informal sector represents more than 80% of total employment in sub-Saharan Africa? (Mo Ibrahim Fact 2012)

Do you also know that in many countries, the most educated people are the least employed? thus, what are you doing to alleviate yourself? “The demands of leadership have changed. The highest levels of leadership require mastery of a new task: job creation” “Job creation is the new currency of all world leaders”(Clifton, J 2011)

Join the discussion and learn the Step by step guide in creating a successful and profitable business around your passion. Entrepreneurship is one of the tools that can help curb the issue of unemployment in our nation. As an author rightly said " I don't want to be a passenger in my own life time", We have to take charge of our own time.

More so, the seminar will create a platform for Networking and mentorship. This will avail youth the opportunity to meet people who are thriving in their own business and seek their opinions.

Where will you be this Sunday November 18th 2012?

Don't miss this opportunity.

 

What is the way forward for an African Youth?

By the end of 2050, over 1/4 of the world's labour force will be Africa and in less than 3 generations, 41% of the world's youth will be African yet youth unemployment increases with education level in Africa as over 1/2 of the world's out-of-school children live in sub-Saharan Africa.

At the just concluded 2012 Mo Ibrahim Foundation’s annual governance forum held in Dakar with the theme African Youth: Fulfilling the potential, it has brought about questions on what African Youth potentials are and how these potentials can be developed in a continent that is faced with unemployment, political instability, low level of education among others. Furthermore, statistics given by the Mo Ibrahim foundation shows that Job readiness is lacking in Nigeria, Kenya and Egypt and that sectors that drive GDP growth do not create the most job.

According to Former President of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo in a dialogue with Iman Bermaki (Student, African Leadership Academy) and Mamadou Toure (Founder, African 2.0), "My generation had more opportunities than facilities; your generation has more facilities than it has opportunities" yet most African Youths are liability. He said that African youth should see themselves as asset and develop themselves instead of focusing on the continents problem. Also, James Mwangi of Dalgerb Global Development during the intergenerational dialogue between the youth and Tutu fellows said that, the challenge is on the youth to decide what they want, find the space and strive for excellence. The consensus among the elders was that African youth have to be united to create change and turn what they have to get what they want.

Also, the low quality of education in Africa was pointed out as one of the problems facing youth development. In Ethiopia, Education is not compulsory and the current African Educational levels are lower  than that of China and India. In his opinion, Ibrahim Niang believes that we have to visit our school programmes in Africa as the key problem is not knowing the model of personality we want to build.

In his acceptance speech, recipient  of the Mo Ibrahim Award, Archbishop Desmond Tutu said that Young People are dreamers and they should continue to dream as the future of the continent is in their hands.Moreso, Mo Ibrahim urged the African youth to do something. He told them they have the power to force their government to be transparent. In addition, the Prime Minister of Senegal Abdoul Mbaye said that the future of the continent is tantamount to the future of the youth.

Yet from opinions from the youth delegates under Restless Development, the youth of Africa have dreamt of all those dreams but no where for the dreams to come true.  They believe that to make policies on their behalf, Policy makers must seek their opinion but which is not happening in most countries in the continent.

In all of these, One thing was certainly clear, The leaders are aware of the problems, the youth want the change but the wide gap is still there. So, what is the way forward for an African Youth?

LEAP 9TH ANNUAL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE

The youth bulge has become a major concern across the world with youth population rising significantly in several countries. Statistics reveal that approximately half of the population of African countries is made up of youth. With a youth population of 43.9%¹, Nigeria has the 17^thhighest youth population out of 229 countries in the world. These figures pose interesting discussions for world leaders and international communities on how the energy, creativity and vitality of this huge human resource can be channeled to strengthen economies and positively transform their countries. As observed in Africa, youth have increased participation in national issues and are adding values to lives through social development projects. Likewise in Nigeria, there are determined young people leading change efforts and positively transforming and improving the lives of people in their communities despite its daunting challenges.

Leadership, Effectiveness, Accountability and Professionalism (LEAP) Africa a nonprofit organization that is committed to developing dynamic, innovative and principled African leaders, launched the Annual Nigerian Youth Leadership Awards in 2004.  The Annual Awards is LEAP’s attempt to reward the commitment and passion of these innovative and dynamic young people and also inspire other youth to aspire and serve as change agents in their local communities.

Since inception, the Awards has celebrated and supported 65 young innovative Nigerians aged 18-30 years who are improving the livelihood of several ordinary citizens through community development initiatives.

At the 9^th Annual Nigerian Youth Leadership Awards, LEAP will recognize efforts of the beneficiaries of its Leadership, Ethics and Civics (LEC) Programme. The LEC programme has equipped 14, 000 students in select public schools in five states with the skills and tools that they require to cope with life challenges and serve as change agents in their local communities. Community development projects are diverse and relevant to the socio-economic needs of a particular local government or their immediate environment.

From providing safe portable water serving many neighborhoods to creating awareness and working to achieve some of the United Nations millennium development goals, the students utilize their newly acquired knowledge and skills from the LEC Programme. In 2012, 50 social change projects were implemented by the LEC students in Anambra, Lagos and Ogun States benefitting thousands of individuals.

This year, LEAP will celebrate outstanding secondary schools and social change projects in Anambra, Lagos, Ogun States and Annual Awards recipient.

The 9th Annual Awards will be more than an event to celebrate the youth, it will feature LEAP’s impact through its work in Nigeria and Africa. In May 2012, LEAP marked a decade of its leadership development and would specially celebrate its 10^th Anniversary at this event.

Details of the events are as follows:

Theme:  Youth Bulge: Ride the Tide.

Date:      Thursday the 15^th of November, 2012

Venue:   The Shell Hall, MUSON Centre, Onikan Lagos

Time:  4pm prompt

Poverty and Abuse, Children Choose Street Life in Nigeria- Temitayo Olofinlua

Tad, 18, left his home in Lagos, the most populous city in Nigeria, when he was 13 to live on the streets.Tad, who goes by this nickname on the streets, was living with his dad and stepmother, but his dad traveled often for work. He got along with his stepmother at first, but Tad says she soon began to resent him.

“She would hang me up on the fan and flog me. She would put pepper in my private part, pull my ears. It was punishment upon punishment.”

Tad, 18, runaway

“My stepmom did not have a child, so she started maltreating me,” Tad says.She ridiculed him in public and abused him at home.

“She would hang me up on the fan and flog me,” he says. “She would put pepper in my private part, pull my ears. It was punishment upon punishment. She had different styles.”

To get away, Tad entered an academic competition in Surulere, a suburb of Lagos, which offered a scholarship for further schooling. When he reached the finals, he was required to bring passport photographs, which he didn’t have money to buy. So Tad took some of his stepmother’s money that she had left on top of the TV. But when his friend needed photos too, Tad spent more than he had planned – the equivalent of $1.30.

"I knew I was going to suffer for it,” Tad says. “She would tell me to count, ‘How many 5 [naira] is in 200 [naira]?’ That's the beating I will take.” 

He reveals a mark on his hand from one of the beatings.

“Look at my hand,” he says. “This is a natural tattoo.”

His stepmother stormed his school to confront him about the money.

"She came to embarrass me in front of my teachers,” he says.

While the teachers were arguing, he left. Tad calculated the beating he would take.

“I will hang on fan,” he says he told himself. “She will hang me by my hand. She will call her brothers to help. I calculated it: hanging, pepper on my buttocks.”

He says he also recalled another technique she had used that involved putting him in a large metal container and pouring water on him for about 10 minutes, creating a drowning effect.

He opted to flee.

“I took my sandals and ran,” he says.

Tad was at Kuramo Beach, a popular beach on Lagos Island, when a representative from Street Child Care and Welfare Initiative, a home for former street children, found him. He lives there today.

Children live on the streets in Nigeria because of varying problems at home, including poverty, abuse and lack of emotional attachment with family. But they face other hazards on the street ranging from sexual violence to drug exposure. Rehabilitation centers assist street children with their basic needs, promote education and reconnect them with their families. But workers say the children will return to the streets unless the community changes its mentality about street children and strengthens the institution of family.

There are no official statistics available on how many street children there are in Lagos state, said Sunday J. Ichedi, head of the public affairs and international relation unit of the National Bureau of Statistics of Nigeria, in a phone interview.

Oyeyemi Oyewale, the in-house counselor at the Street Child Care and Welfare Initiative, says that many children end up on the streets as a result of broken homes and a lack of emotional attachment to their families.

He says that was also his experience as a 10-year-old. 

“It has to do with when you don't have any emotional fulfillment,” he explains. “Nobody knew that I was on the streets. It took the intervention of my mum, who went to school only to find out that I'd been missing classes.”

Poverty is another major reason why children end up in the streets, says Rose Swan, program officer at Child Life-line, a nongovernmental organization that rehabilitates street children.

"An 8-year-old boy I interviewed said that his father told him that when he was his age, he was already working, so the boy should also start working and fending for himself,” Swan says. “Many of the children end up in the streets because their parents cannot cater for them.”

A 15-year-old boy who goes by the nickname Ondato frequents Child Life-line’s drop-in center. He lives on the streets and returns home once in a while. But Ondato says his father is a polygamist and does not have the time to care for all his children. "When I am on the street, I can hustle and take care of myself,” Ondato says. “I work as a bus conductor." He says he makes between 800 naira ($5) and 4,000 naira ($25) a day, depending on how long he works.

Comfort Alli, executive director of the Street Child Care and Welfare Initiative, says this is common among street children. "Some children feel that their parents are not taking care of them,” she says. “Some feel that they are not going to school so there is no future for them, so let's see if there is any life out there. Some feel that there are too many children, so how are my parents going to cope?”

Others have older parents who can’t take care of them, Swan says.

Peer pressure also plays a role.

"They say: ‘My friends are like this. Why am I not like this?’” she says. “‘My friends have this, why can't I have it?’ Many of these children are being lured into the streets by their friends.”

Some children take jobs on the streets, earn money and return well-dressed to their communities, telling other children that the streets are where the good life is, she says.

That was the case for one 18-year-old who goes by the nickname Sunnex.

"I lost my mum, so my dad married another woman,” he says. “I was hawking for her. Before I go to school, I will hawk fish.”

If any money was ever missing or lost from a day of selling fish, his stepmother blamed him, and his father beat him, he says.

When one of his friends returned from Lagos with tales of opportunity and adventure, Sunnex started saving money to go himself.  

“I knew that my father will beat me,” he says. “I would be beaten with rubber, and my body will tear. So, on Sunday, I left church as if I want to go and use the toilet and went to the main road.”

Sunnex boarded a bus and has been in Lagos since. Though he has reunited with his family, he still stays at the Street Child Care and Welfare Initiative, where he has access to education. He took the examination to qualify for university education earlier this year.

"I like to become an actor, he says, smiling. “I love acting.”

But Alli of the Street Child Care and Welfare Initiative says that being on the street exposes children to many hazards. 

“They know more than you can ever imagine,”.........Read more-http://www.globalpressinstitute.org/africa/nigeria/citing-poverty-and-abuse-children-choose-street-life-nigeria/page/0/2