If we don’t hustle, we don’t eat – Street Kids

Culled from Vanguard
Now that the annual Children’s Day celebration has come and gone,the question of what happens to the average Nigerian child after that one day jamboree still lingers in the hearts of concerned parents and education stakeholders. As a matter of fact, it appears the Nigerian child is only celebrated once a year, May 27. Even the so-called annual ritual celebration organized by each state of the federation doesn’t really go round as it parades and favours mostly children of the high and mighty. But to children of the masses, May 27 is just like any other day.


And a normal day for an average Nigerian child pictures him already turned into an adult before his time. He not only has to worry about attending a school that lacks almost all necessary amenities , but also has to hawk on the streets and do other menial jobs to assist his family. And while hawking and roaming the streets, some fall prey to the antics  of social miscreants. Meanwhile as a sovereign country, the Nigerian child is supposedly protected by rights which ought to ensure his basic needs are met. But on the contrary, these laws hardly cater for every child’s education, feeding, shelter, protection and so on.

What about the classrooms where learning takes place? Although some public schools have had touch ups,others remain in a sorry state. When a visit was made to the likes of Shokunbi and Mushin Mission Primary Schools,Mushin, it was appalling to discover the conditions in which they operate. With faded coloured buildings, wooden windows and caved in roofs,sources hinted that the schools’ management have written severally to the government to come to their aid – all to no avail.

Aside the leaky roofs which allow water into the classroom now that it has started raining, it was also learnt that pupils of the schools fetch water in buckets from home to school everyday. When asked what the water was meant for, sources revealed that pupils use it in their almost non-existent toilet.
But in a move to speak with the headmistress(es) of the schools who share same compound concerning the deplorable situation of the schools, she refused further comments, but said they had been instructed to direct anyone who needed information to the secretary of the Local Government.

If we don’t hustle for money, we don’t eat—Musa

Ten-year-old Musa is one of those Nigerian children born into life’s harsh realities. Having left his parents who reside in Kaduna at a tender age,he begins to cater for himself. Accompanied by his 15 year-old elder brother,Ahmed who actually brought him down to Lagos, they join forces as shoe repairers near a pedestrian walkway in Mushin area of Lagos. From their garage abode,they resume  work as early as seven in the morning to hustle for at least N100 for breakfast. What about lunch and dinner? “Only Allah can determine that by sending us customers. If we don’t hustle for money, we don’t eat, “ said Musa in a rather sad mood.