Who Deserves To Be Called Parents? -By UmmuKulsum Abubakar Ibrahim

With due respect to all parents I think some of them doesn’t deserve the nomenclature or respect because wittingly or unwittingly they have woefully failed with their responsibilities of providing the basic needs for their families.

I am not oblivious of the fact that all fingers are not equal in terms of economic status but the truth is that what we’re witnessing today is that some parents are not ready; they just got married to quench their sexual desires.

The increase number of out of school children; street children; child hawking/labour and the Almajiris roaming the streets were mostly fault of some incompetent and incapacitated so called parents.

It baffles me to see children at younger age that are supposed to be under the care of their parents but you found them on streets wearing shattered clothes begging for what to eat and struggle to survive. One may wonder what offence have they commit to deserve this ill-treatment, untold hardship and torture.

Unfortunately, these abandoned or uncaring children have become vulnerable, susceptible and target as new recruits for terrorist groups.

If at all we want to correct this abnormal, inhumane and barbaric act, religious leaders in collaboration with traditional rulers and local government authorities must make it mandatory for every prospectus couples to undergo a one year compulsory marriage counseling to get educated on roles and responsibilities of parents, effect of divorce, domestic violence e.t.c.

The government at local level should introduce a law banning street begging, child labour and hawking with punishment for any parent if he’s child caught breaking the law.

UmmuKulsum Abubakar Ibrahim writes from Mass Communication Department, Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, Bauchi, Bauchi state.