A look into the streets and around the neighbourhoods, you’ll find children who ought to be in school, learning to become future leaders wallowing away hawking or engaging in one crime or the other. When a child has an upbringing like that of Farid Galadinma, a who was born in a drug joint by drug addict parents, what kind of future could he possibly hold. FUNMI SALOME JOHNSON reports.
Children’s day event is celebrated in many places around the world. It is a day set aside to celebrate childhood. On Children’s Day, tribute is paid to all children in the world. Children are loved by one and all. They win over our hearts with their angelic eyes and innocent smiles. It makes one realize that maybe that’s the way God wanted us to be. The holiday is meant to honour children and minors.
Children’s day is not just a day for children to stay at home or visit exciting places. There is more to the day than what is being done. It is a day for sober reflection on what have we done with the gifts given to us by God Almighty? Every child is important, even those living on the streets.
However, for handsome Farid Galadinma, his story is not the same as he is being deprived of a good childhood.
Born to Shehu Galadinma and Iyabo Adekoya both drug addicts, Farid Galadinma started his journey into the world on a very rough note.
Little wonder why the statistics show that about eight million children of school age are out of school in Nigeria.
Sad you may wonder, while the right of the child is paramount in every society and looked up to as the future of every world, the case of many Nigerian children seems bleak with the nature of treatment they get both from their parents and the society at large.
If the world would remain fruitful, then the lives of the children should be considered by every government and every individual. The kind of life the child lives today would determine the kind of youth and adult he or she would be tomorrow. What kind of life is ahead for little Farid Galadinma with such background?
As early as 7 AM, Iyabo Adekoya, Farid’s mother would set out without a bath for the poor child and use the child as an instrument of getting alms to sustain her drug addiction. Amongst her numerous empathizers is Testimony Ahanon, a makeup artist who also designs nails around Ikeja area who normally give her(Iyabo) money for the sake of the child.
“For long I have been wondering why this lady looking so unkempt would be taking the baby round places begging for alms. It took me quite some time before I understood the reason she was always looking unkempt and dirty” Testimony disclosed.
With the heart to assist and see if the baby could be helped and given a more conducive environment to grow, Testimony became more interested in the child and for that sake, she continued to give alms to this woman who usually comes to her for alms claiming she wants to take the baby to the hospital. After becoming friendly and more familiar to the mother of the child and even the father, she had a shocking discovery.
“Although I am still single but I love children to a fault and can’t afford to see a child suffer, I would want to do all in my power to ensure that the child is as comfortable as possible. That was what drove me into closely monitoring Iyabo, the child’s mother so that I could think of ways to assist the baby. After enquiring from people on what the parents of the child do for a living, I was told that they are both addicts and that they met each other in the smoking joint. I also learnt that the lady in question is a mother of four other children from various fathers and that each time she got pregnant; she goes to her family house somewhere in Surulere and on four different occasions, would sneak away from home leaving her child at the mercy of her parents and relatives to care for. It is for this reason she could not go back home to dumb young Farid”
Testimony further disclosed that the father of Farid on the other hand is from a prestigious family in Sokoto, the Galadinma family but because of his lifestyle as an addict, he is ashamed to go back to his home town and because he has no relatives here in Lagos who could take care of the baby, he was forced to leave the child in the mother’s care even though he knows the child is not as safe with her”
According to Testimony, she further stated that about a week ago, the father of the baby came to her shop and beckoned on her to be looking after the baby for them if she could, having noticed her special interest in the child.
“About a week ago, the father of the child, approached me and asked if I could help with taking care of the baby for them. He said that the mother is not taking proper care of the child because of her state and that being a man and also in his present predicament; he may not be able to give the child the adequate care he needs.
Initially, I wanted to say no because even if I have not had any particular encounter with such situations, I have heard all kinds of stories of how after taking care of the child, the addict would turn around and harass you with claims that you stole the baby from them so I said okay, I will but only on the condition that we will go to the police station to sign an undertaking that he, the father of the baby, gave the baby to me to look after and that I did not steal the baby and that he is doing that because he is not in a good mental and health state to take care of the child because of his addiction to drugs. He willingly agreed and we went to the police station at MAN centre in Ikeja where he and two of his relatives signed the undertaking”
Testimony further remarked that her fond love for kids was what prompted her into making the decision to accept the child. “Besides you don’t know what the child may become tomorrow, he just might be the next president” she giggled.
However, Shehu Galadinma, the father of Farid, also confirmed that he had to keep the baby with Testimony Ahanon to help him take care of the baby because he is not happy with the way Iyabo, the baby’s mother begs with the child to raise money for drugs.
“I am not happy to have a child and not be able to take care of him. Farid is my first child and I love him so much and the way his mother is at the moment, she will not be able to care for him well. Many times she would abandon the child and leave the baby crying. She breastfeeds the baby and each time the baby is not sucking, he starts to feel withdrawal symptoms; that was why I felt I should look for someone more responsible who would help me care for the baby because I don’t want the baby to end up the way we are now. Again she uses the baby to beg for alms just to keep up with her addiction and I don’t want that anymore” lamented Galadinma.
He says Testimony agreeing to help is a great relief on him because he knows that the baby will be safe with her.
“When Testimony agreed to assist with the upkeep of the child, I was very happy and greatly relived because I know with her, the baby will be safe. I am from far away Sokoto and the shame of my present situation couldn’t allow me to go back to my home town and I have no female relatives here in Lagos, otherwise, I would have taken the child to them to help me take care.”
On how well he knows Testimony whom he is entrusting his child to, Galadinma remarked that he had known the lady for quite some time and he knows her to be a good and God fearing person who has passion and rare love for children, although she did not know that I have been studying her for so long”
Testimony who is equally happy to be able to impact positively in the life of an innocent child further said that although she knows it is not going to be an easy situation all through but she is happy doing what she is doing at the moment.
“I am happy to be able to do this for this innocent boy. I took him to the hospital last week and the doctor had assured that the baby will be okay and that we should bring him regularly for checkups. He is such a sweet boy and I call him Emmanuel Galadinma, meaning God be with us”
Indeed, Farid’s case is just one out of the many cases of abused children. This keeps one wondering on the kind of future this country holds. The question on the lips of many is that what exactly is being done by the government on this issue of child abuse that is becoming so prevalent?
You may recall that In 2003, Nigeria adopted the Child Rights Law. It is to domesticate the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Although this law was passed at the federal level, it is only effective if the State Assembly enacts it. Till date, only 16 out of the country’s 36 States have passed the Act.
Intense advocacy continues for the remaining states. This explains that the landmark in achievement of the legislative arm of government has not yet translated into improved legal protection throughout the federation. Children are abused physically, mentally, sexually, psychologically and morally on daily basis.
Some who are of school age are on the streets hawking. Most of them live on the streets and become hoodlums. Others are sent out for prostitution, child labour even at an early age. Some of these children are even used for rituals. What does the future holds for these young minds? Any hope at all for them?
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