By Baba Adamu
Senator Rochas Okorocha (APC) has tasked Nigerian leaders to save the lives of the nation’s 14m out of school children by taking them off the Streets to enrol them in schools.
The former Imo state Governor who made the call while speaking at the 6th combined convocation ceremony of Nasarawa state University Keffi (NSUK), stressed that education is no mor e a means to live, but it is live itself.
Senator Okorocha who took many guests at the occasion, including the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, by surprise by the way he made the appeal in proverbs to the leaders in clean and unadulterated Hausa language.
He started by saying, “Jama’a barkanmu da warhaka. Na farko naji dadi kwarai da gaske da naji ance an kafa wannan Jami’a ta Jihar Nasarawa domin taimaka ma Yaranmu”. Meaning, “I greet all the people that have come to be part of this graduation ceremony. I would like to start by admitting that I was glad when I heard that this university was established 20 years ago, primarily, to help our children”.
He continued that, “Daya daga cikin manyan matsalolin da ke fuskantar mu a wannan kasa tamu ayau shine yawan yaran mu dake yawo a titunan sassa dabam dabam ba tare da zuwa makaranta ba, wadanda adadin su ya kai Miliyan goma sha hudu, wadda sam hakan bai kamata ba”. Meaning,”one of the major problems confronting Nigeria today as a nation is the army of out of school children roaming the streets in different parts of the country, the number of which is approximately put at 14 million. This is not right”.
He therefore added that, “Don haka, ina kira ga dukkanin shugabannin kasar nan, ‘yan siyasa da sarakunan gargajiya da mu hada kai muyi maganin wannan matsalan da wuri. Yin hakan ya zama dole kamar yadda ya zama dole yin shanya tun ana rana kafin zuwan hadari, domin idan muka bari har sai ruwa ya sauko, toh, akwai damuwa”
He meant that the earlier these children are enrolled in schools, the better and safer for our peaceful existence and development as a nation. The security of a country with this army of out of school children, if not tamed and trained early enough, cannot be guaranteed, because the consequences of their regrettable actions on the country in the future can never be imagined”