Schoolchildren in Gombe State have called on the government and parents to take drastic action to address the menace of child begging and hawking in the state.
They made the call during an advocacy visit to the State Ministry of Women Affairs and Child Development as part of activities marking the 2024 World Children’s Day in the state supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The children urged stakeholders to ensure that all children have access to quality education.
Ramlat Kasimu Ahmed, a student of Ilimi International School Gombe, spoke on behalf of her peers, expressing concern over the plight of children forced into begging and hawking, denying them western education.
“I am a Nigerian child, I want to fulfil my future ambition. Why will some parents not allow their children to go to school? I wonder what some people think education is. Some parents don’t care to send their children to school, they hawk. The almajiris beg to eat, they are also Nigerian children. They deserve education like me. They deserve the best.”, she told the ministry.
Responding, the state commissioner for Women Affairs and Child Development, Asma’u Iganus, assured the children of the state government’s commitment to providing free education to all.
“We are working to provide school buses to convey children to schools and bring them back to their destinations soon. The state has enacted the Child Protection Law, which will soon be assented to by the governor, to address violence against children.”, she pledged.
Iganus advised the children to study hard and acquire vocational skills to become productive and innovative.
