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A
parent�s unwholesome example
Nothing best underlines the
worsening moral crisis prevalent among today�s youth, much of which is
aggravated by the unwholesome actions of irresponsible parents, than the
very injurious scandal that hit the nation about two weeks ago, when a
parent in Lagos whose son was punished by his teacher had to invade the
son�s school with thugs to manhandle the teacher concerned. The theatre
for this disgusting drama was the International School of the University
of Lagos (ISL) Akoka, Yaba, Lagos.
According to a formal report
on the incident by the Principal of the school, Mr. Nuhu Hassan entitled,
�Assault on ISL Teachers by a Parent and Suspected Thugs�, and sent to the
Registrar, University of Lagos, what led to the crisis was that a teacher,
Mr. Adewole, had sent a JSS2 student, Akindele Okikiolu, to buy him a biro
and doughnut from a kiosk in the school. Because students usually thronged
the place to make purchases, an SS1 student, Tejiri Evbodagbe, accused
Okikiola of pushing him and causing his lollipop to fall down. He punched
the junior student who had denied pushing him, and compelled him to buy
another lollipop for him even when Okikiolu made it clear to him that the
money he had on him belonged to the teacher.
Said the Principal in the
report: �Okikiolu returned to report the incident to the teacher. The
teacher sent for Tejiri, who confirmed what Okikiolu (had) said. Another
teacher in the staff
room told Tejiri that he
should not have punched Okikiolu as the punishment for punching a junior
student was suspension for three weeks. Mr. Durojaiye (the teacher) then
gave Tejiri six strokes of the cane to avoid the prescribed punishment.
Again, no laceration��
Not pleased with the
punishment meted out to him, Tejiri was said to have lodged a complaint
with the Principal who promised to investigate the matter. But the
following day, Tejiri�s father, Mr. Sunny Evbodagbe, invaded the school
with his wife (who was carrying a two-month old baby), his two daughters,
Tejiri, and seven thugs. They caused so much mayhem in the school, and
physically assaulted six teachers. One of the teachers was so brutalised
and wounded that he had to be admitted at the University of Lagos Health
Centre. In the violence and confusion that ensued, not even Chief
Evbodagbe himself, his thugs and the vehicles that brought them
escaped unscathed.
We think that this scandal was
clearly avoidable. Surely, there are legitimate channels through which
parents can register their reservations if they have any cause to believe
that their children have been unfairly treated at school. Indeed, this
crude descent to barbarism and wanton show of aggression does great damage
to our notion of decency and an orderly society. Even if Mr. Evbodagbe had
genuine cause to be aggrieved, it does seem that civilised modes of
protest did not appear to hold any attractions for him. This raises a
grave question on morality and the direction our society is headed.
No doubt, this cannot be
divorced from the frightening decay currently making mincemeat of society�s moral fibre, and it
is most unfortunate that a person of Evbodagbe�s social standing
should signpost this malaise. His recent action at
ISL remains condemnable. Certainly, such a shameful outing has no counterpart
within the confines of civilised behaviour.
Already, the Parents/Teachers
Association (PTA) has, in an emergency meeting deliberated on the ugly
incident and came up with some resolutions. Major-General Emmanuel
Abisoye, who announced the ISL-PTA stand said: �We have reached some
decisions. Evbodagbe�s children have been expelled. That is irreversible.�
Again, there were also reports that the man and his thugs will soon be
charged to court.
We commend the PTA for such a
bold step to reclaim the sanctity of the place for the good of society.
The present measure will serve as deterrent to others who may wish to
adopt the Evbodagbe paradigm and take laws into their hands. Evbodagbe has
shown a clear example of bad parenting, an insidious choice that must be
isolated by decent society. We urge parents to refrain from shielding
their children from corrections and moral redirection. Society is
endangered when children, the leaders of today, are brought up in an
ambience where impunity is given an honoured seat. Africa has a healthy
culture that does not encourage children to be deviant. Parents should not
be seen to pervert this
culture and set the stage for a disastrous generational transfer.
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