Over 2million children work against their wishes in Nigeria-Survey

By Dayo Emmanuel

Africa has the largest number of child labour in the world, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has revealed.

A total of 59million children between five and 17 years of age are involved in hazardous work and one in five African children are employed against their wishes. Poverty remains endemic and chief reason for the ungodly treatment meted against future African adults.

Ten years ago, the United Nations Organisation (UNO) gave that over eight million children in Nigeria were not in school. Ten years down the line, the figure has increased. Today the situation is worse because 10.5 million children were already out of school as at 2014 according to the UNO.

Nigeria seems to be producing more child workers in recent times, no thanks to the insurgency in the north eastern Nigeria, a phenomenon that has seen many children displaced. Of course another reason is the worsening economic situation which necessitates some children joining their parents in economic activities during school hours to keep the home.

Habib Ismaila is from the north eastern Nigeria. Obviously he found himself in Lagos after his family’s displacement from the region due to insurgency. Getting to Lagos, Nigeria’s economic nerve centre, life must go on.

“We ran away because of Boko Haram,” he said, adding that, “We came with one trailer and getting to Lagos we have to find something to eat.”

At age 14 Ismaila has known what it means to fend for himself while his more fortunate peers are in secondary school. Obviously he would serve them in future except something drastc happens, and fast. Instead of being in school, he has since become what is known in the local parlance as a ‘scavenger.’ This means he searches through refuse for metals and anything he feels valuable for sale. Sometimes he is lucky, some days unlucky.

This is the story of several millions of Nigerian children below age 17. When asked how much he makes daily, Ismaila who barely speaks good English said, “I can make like N250 when I sell metals or cables.” For him this is enough to ‘hold body and soul’ in anticipation of a better day.

Meanwhile the resultant effect of this situation definitely cannot augur well for the society that must produce illiterate adults. Practically speaking, more criminally minded youths in the near future would be produced. This would happen if nothing drastic is done. When the population of the have nots grow several times more than the haves, definitely the haves may not have enough even in the midst of plenty.

Of the 10.5 million children out of school in Nigeria according to a 2014 statistics, 60% are girls and from the northern part of the country.

The future implication of this is also in the negative as the region in particular and the nation at large would have produced more unemployable youths whose opportunities are limited.

Burdened with the child abuse and exploitation, the UNO in November 1989 adopted the convention on the Rights of the Nigerian Child.

Subsequently in July 1990, the Organisation of African Unity Assembly of Heads of States and Government adopted the African Union Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child both of which were ratified in Nigeria in 1991 and 2000 respectively.

Sadly enough it took over 15 years for the domestication of this framework in Nigeria. Thankfully 24 states of 36 have so far adopted and reenacted the Child Rights Law as at April 2016. Among the leading states in this wise is Lagos State where the law was enacted in May 2007.

Meanwhile, apart from enacting the Child Rights Act, the Act must not only remain in the papers, but be made to work. Also, while the state seeks to ensure the well-being of the Nigerian child, enforcement of the Act must be paramount. People who fall on the wrong side of the law must be brought to book. This is the only way the law can be said to be working outside mere paper works.

*Picture by Dayo Emmanuel