The Scout Association of Nigeria has expressed commitment to ending the growing menace of cultism and drug abuse in Nigeria, particularly amongst young people.
The chief commissioner of the Scout Association of Nigeria, Dave Padopas-Awunah disclosed this at a world press conference, marking the beginning of the Scouts meeting in Africa in Abuja.
Awunah said from a study carried out by the Scout officials, there were 20 formidable cult organisations operating in the country.
He said elsewhere in Africa, the problem of child soldiers prevailed but in Nigeria, it is cultism and drug abuse that are prevalent among the youths.
“There is recruitment of child soldiers elsewhere, such that they go into war but here, there is recruitment of children, 5-10 years into cultism.
“From our study, we have 20 formidable cult groups operating in Nigeria. The situation in Nigeria is quite precarious. Scouting in Nigeria I don’t want to go deep into it but all of us here know that across the length breath of Nigeria there is one form of crisis or the other, is it Boko Haram, banditry in the Northwest? Herders’ crisis in the North Central? is it the IPOB in the South East? the South have a share of their own in Oduduwa People of the South West of Nigeria? So these crises are everywhere.
“So what the Scout Association of Nigeria is doing is to attempt to approach areas where we have destitute, in internally displaced people’s (IDPs) camps and we have cause to volunteer to form Scouts groups within those camps in order to catch them young and dissuade them from being recruited into cult and dangerous groups and associations,” he said.
The chief commissioner disclosed plans to amend the Nigerian Boys Scout Act to change the name to Scout Association of Nigeria.
“We are advancing that the Nigerian Boys Scout Act as it used to be, have compulsory scouting in all public schools in Nigeria. We have also proposed in that bill that scout could be with the Ministry of Youths as we are, but our mother ministry will be shifted from Ministry of Youth to the Ministry of Education so that our informal curriculum and our informal education, which we practise will now run the education subsector”
On his part, director of World Scout Bureau Africa, Dr Frederick Kama-Kama sought the collaboration of African governments to fight against the menace of child soldiers and drug abuse among the youths.
He regretted that most of the children fall into these wrong hands due to lack of access to education and proper care.
“These children who are going into drug abuse or other abuses, we have to tackle the fundamental problems. We have to address the foundational problems. If we don’t address the main issues that takes them into drugs and bad companies, it will not help. But we need to work together; the government, the families to address the issue in the society. Scout cannot change the world alone.
“These children who are recruited into militant groups are being destroyed. And we don’t want this situation to continue in Africa. But the only way we can say we don’t want this situation again is to take care of those children, to provide them with opportunities that can be different from where they have been exposed; and take them to where they can learn”, he said.
Kama Kama stated that the Scout Bureau in Africa was working round the clock using different platforms to take child soldiers out of the disturbing situation and create a new life for them.
“What I am saying about education here is not necessary for them to go to formal school. These children soldiers are forced to do different terrible things. So, we are looking at all the issues that are affecting the children from different perspectives. We are looking at a holistic approach through our programmes,” he said.
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