“Neglected Children are Foundation of Nigeria’s Security Problems”

For over 30 years, Biodun Bamgboye, a Nigerian with a heart of gold had nursed the idea of helping the country solve the problem associated with street kids; mopping them off the streets and equipping them with education and vocational skills enough to face the future through her organization, Satus Dignus. In this interview with DAYO EMMANUEL, Biodun Bamgboye, a consultant, strategist and graduate of the University of Ife, shares her passion and strategy to kick start rehabilitation homes starting in Lagos and Ibadan to solve an impending security problem that could  be fueled if street children are not taken off the streets and adequately engaged.

How are you going to raise funds, are there partners?

For now we have raised funds continuously from individuals. However, our goal is to create an investment fund. We are looking for people to contribute between N200,000 and N1,000,000 just once so that we can start an investment fund and generate our running costs from the proceeds of the fund.

Are you willing to involve faith-based organisations like Churches on this project?

No, not particularly. Some churches that call themselves Pentecostal Christ- believing churches have actually identified children as witches. These children are sent out of their homes to the streets. I actually read an article that if a child runs temperature at night, that child is possessed and they should take the child for deliverance. I have watched documentaries on witch children in Cross River State so some of these problems are actually direct results consequence of abuse of religion. I’m not interested in getting religious institutions involved. They would probably damage the children more, if they call them possessed and do all manner of crazy things. Children that have suffered deprivation and abuse can’t behave like normal children eating cerelac. Anyone that expects those children to behave normally must be possessed.

How do you intend to run this project effectively?

I didn’t start it on my own. I didn’t do anything and I haven’t done anything on my own, I call myself lead facilitator. I have been working with a team that have amazed me unbelievably. People think Nigerians are bad, that hasn’t been my experience at all. I have met a team of Nigerians that have just carried this thing on their head like ‘gala seller’, they have carried it diligently. They have been the ones to get a place to furnish the place, to go out to speak to the kids. I have just been sitting down feeling guilty that I have not been doing anything. The fact that I am not here has not stopped anything thing at all, there is nothing that  should happen that has not happened there is nothing more that I could have done that has not been done.

Then do you envisage any challenge on this project?

Yes. Finance is a huge challenge for us, we have been going day by day. We have to spend from our pocket for this project, we have to rely on our network of friends and families, we know that finance is a challenge however we also have the confidence that  once people see the work we are doing they would rise up to support us. Another thing is that we mustn’t underestimate the damage that has been done to these children on the streets and I know it’s not going to be an easy task. I don’t underestimate the work yet for now,I think finance will be the greatest challenge.

It means you have to be shuttling?

Yes I have been shuttling, in the past eight months, this is my forth time in Nigeria. I am also working, as a consultant so I combine these trips with assignments that can pay for my ticket. So I am able to do the work with little resources available, it’s really a sacrifice.

How are you going to combine this heavy task with your consultancy assignments?

I have been doing that already.

What gave you this passion?

I have had this dream over 30 years, I have been writing it down. Very few people  know that this is the dream I have had for over 30 years and it is almost difficult to bring it to pass. I have an idea of how it should run. I have gone to find out from people if they serve as board members but it never started; I spoke to somebody a few months ago and he asked me what I have done about it. I told him I have been incubating it and I have met with some people., This friend just encouraged me to start if that is what I want to do. I started wondering ‘how do I start?’. I don’t have money so I started by putting a post on Facebook. I got about ten people who wanted to join me on the project, some of them are with me here. Like a joke, we found a place in Lagos, paid the rent. We were able to raise a bit of money on Facebook. We got about N300,000 from friends on Facebook. We got another place in Ibadan where we have a team. We have done the renovation, we are just waiting for the landlord. The team in Ibadan has also been going on the streets to speak with children we are going to be working with. We have been identifying the children that sleep in the streets, our project is not for every street child, we are limited we are focusing on those who don’t have any home to go to at night to sleep, those ones that sleep under the bridges and in rain pipes. That is what we have done so far.

Have you counted the cost because you are going to be working with a lot of people and how do you intend to handle the children? Is it just going to be a place for them to sleep and they go out to fend for themselves?

Like I explained, it is a full program that involves everything it will take to re integrate these children to the communities.  The communities must be involved. For the Lagos house we have got our landlady interested, she is taking a very personal interest in the project. We are going to register each of the children to learn a trade as apprentice with whatever trade they are going to be interested in and to go back to school. Even for those going to learn trade we are organising literacy classes for them. The intention is to get them occupied throughout the day, make sure they are well fed, make sure the attraction to stay on the streets fade away. We are going to put them in enclosed environment and we are going to get people to talk to them to give them instructions. In Oyo State we have got the state government on board to collaborate with us in various ways.

How are you going to be getting these children?

Like I said, we have been going on the street to speak with the children, the team in Ibadan is on ground. finding out what their situation is. We have identified those we want to work with and that is an integral part of the program. We are still looking for them.

Ten years ago the UNO said 10million Nigerian children are out of school, ten years down the line the figure is still standing meaning there is a machinery producing this figure. Have you considered the mechanism fueling the phenomenon? Because as you are trying to mop up the mess, others are continuing in producing the mess. Have you given this a thought?

Let us start by helping a child per time. There is no how you can stop that except for the mess that has been created does not escalate into a full blown mess. It is important we start to do this now. The children we neglected in the past have increased the security problem in Nigeria today. This is because millions of children left unattended to ten years ago, those children said to be out of school ten years ago can only increase the security issues we have and that is nothing compared to what will happen in the next ten years. That is our concern and these children we are taking off the streets today are going to be our pride in the next ten years. It is a 50/50 chance; they can become the pride of this nation if attention is given to them or they could be the ones to tear the country apart if nothing is done.