Nigeria Breaking News
Mother protests as principal brutalises 14-year-old student
The mother of a Senior Secondary School student, Mrs. Becky Folorunso, has cried out for justice after the Principal of Pholex Private School, Ebute-Meta in Lagos, allegedly brutalized her son for not writing class notes.
In an interview with PUNCH Metro on Friday, Folorunso said that was not the first time her son, Adam, would be flogged in such a manner by the principal, Adewale Adetona.
Bruises suspected to be from whips could be seen on the boy’s back from pictures made available to our correspondent.
The troubled mother said while she had scolded her son and warned him to be writing his class notes, beating her child to that extent was uncalled for.
She called on relevant authorities of the Lagos State Government, particularly the State Universal Basic Education Board to intervene in the matter.
Folorunso said, “He is a playful son, but he is not a bad boy. He came home a few days ago and told me ‘Mummy, this beating is too much.’ He showed me his back and I saw bruises. But not like this very one. He said it was because he did not write one note. I scolded him and warned him to always write his notes.
“But when he came home on Thursday, May 25, he cried, ‘Mummy, I can’t take this any longer.’ When he removed his uniform and showed me his back, I was shocked and asked what happened to him. He said it was because he did not complete his Social Studies notes.”
She said her son told the principal to check well, but he wouldn’t listen to him. She said the principal began flogging the boy. “I heard he (the principal) said he knew me, but knowing me doesn’t mean he should kill my child,” the mother said.
Continuing, Folorunso recalled that she had been planning to withdraw the boy from the school following tales of alleged inhuman treatment being meted out to students before the incident.
“I didn’t know about all these stories before we registered him. How can they be running a private learning environment as if it is a public school where things like this go unpunished?” she queried.
When contacted, the school principal, Adetona, said he did not beat the child unjustly.
Speaking with our correspondent via a phone call on Friday, he said he was checking all the students’ notes to know some of them who were not writing up to date.
Adetona said, “I am a parent, I don’t beat unjustly. I know the mother very well. I noticed the boy doesn’t have a note at all. I just resumed the office (in the school) not quite long (ago). I’m searching their entire notes one after the other to know those that are not doing well. Several complaints (have) come from teachers and several warnings asking the boy to change.
“I had to beat him yesterday (Thursday). I have been warning them for over two weeks to go and update their notes.”
He said the last time the boy brought his school fees, he was the one that gave him N500 to go and pay through the Point of Sale machine so that he would not lose the money while trying to go to the bank. “I would not beat him unjustly,” he reiterated.
On his part, the school’s proprietor, Mr. Foluso Akomolafe, condemned the beating of the student and apologized to the mother.
He said although the boy was not writing notes, there were other means to discipline a student.
“He (the principal) warned him (the student) that he shouldn’t do that again, that he must make sure he copies notes,” Akomolafe added, saying the school fee paid by the parents was like a waste if the student was not writing notes.
“I blamed the principal. As much as you are trying to correct the boy, you should always take it easy with them, they are children. Whatever corrective measures you want to put in place, you shouldn’t be flogging,” the proprietor told PUNCH Metro.
Suggesting other ways to discipline a student, he said the student could be punished or suspended instead of flogging such a child.
“What the boy did was bad but then he could be asked to kneel or invite the parent. He was sorry about it and apologized to the mother.
“The school does not permit flogging because the Lagos State Government does not want us to flog any child, no matter the offense. We don’t support flogging. He (the principal) is a new person and had barely spent a month or two with us,” he added.
In other news – A woman dies after hearing news of her son’s death
An unidentified woman has taken her last breath after hearing the news of her son’s death. The late son, identified as Christian Ugbede Abuka, was said to have died in an auto crash while returning home from Kwara State where he had gone for his National Youth Service Corps documentation.
The deceased elder brother, Joseph Abuka, confirmed the news on his Facebook page. Abuka said their mother died on hearing that Christain had died. Learn More
Ogun State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Adijat Adeleye, has harped on the need for proper documentation of children in orphanages residing in the state. Adeleye stated that improved data analysis is necessary to ensure accountability, safety, transparency, and efficiency in the administration of homes.
The commissioner made this known during a training program for social workers, organized by the Ministry in collaboration with Both Ends Believing (BEB) and the Association of Orphanage and Home Operators in Nigeria (ASOHON) at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, on Friday.She reiterated the state government’s commitment to the welfare and well-being of all children in the state, regardless of their status, noting that their rights must be protected and that they should have a sense of belonging.
Adeleye said: “I want you to know that the present administration in Ogun State is committed to the welfare of all children in the state, and the era of being complacent is gone; whether as social workers or orphanage home operators, this time there is a need for us to have proper documentation of what is going on in our homes, both for present reasons and for the future of the children and the homes we run.”
The commissioner urged the trainees to take advantage of the training to enhance their career paths and provide efficient services in their line of duties.
Speaking, the National President of the Association of Orphanage and Home Operators in Nigeria, Dr. Gabriel Oyediji, explained that the objective of the training was to ensure a paradigm shift in keeping children’s records from analog to digital, towards achieving accuracy and timeliness in the management of children’s welfare.
Delivering a lecture on creating child-first software for orphanage homes, the Country Manager of BEB, Mr. Silas Nyam, highlighted some of the benefits of the software application for orphanage homes, which include storing and tracking children’s personal, medical, and educational records, monitoring children’s progress, goals and outcomes, and managing counseling therapy, among other things.
Appreciating the Ministry and other partners, representatives of the social workers, Adesola Omobolaji and Talabi Olusesan, said the training would be beneficial in enhancing quality service delivery in the discharge of their duties.
Source: Dailypost
President Bola Tinubu said he is not thinking about the upcoming 2027 general elections but instead dedicated to restructuring the economy for the benefit of the Nigerian people.
This is coming as several prominent figures from the All Progressives Congress, APC, including former national chairman. Chief Bisi Akande, former Ogun State governor, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and governors from Ogun, Ondo, and Ekiti states—Dapo Abiodun, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, and Biodun Oyebanji, respectively—expressed their support for President Tinubu’s re-election and the success of all APC candidates in 2027.
Tinubu and the party leaders made these comments at the 2024 South West Assembly of the APC, held on Saturday at Victoria Island, hosted by Governor Sanwo-Olu, who serves as the zonal coordinator of the party.The event had in attendance party leaders and stakeholders from the South-West including senators, members of the House of Representatives, State House of Assembly members, local government officials, and top party representatives.
At the event, former Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi, delivered the keynote address, praising the president as a “listening leader” with a strong determination to succeed.
Tinubu, who was represented by his chief of staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, urged Nigerians to be patient with his administration, which is committed to the genuine progress of the populace.
Source: Dailypost
In other news –
Nigeria’s tier-one bank, Zenith Bank has announced that its customers can perform transactions seamlessly on all its channels. The Bank disclosed this in a notice on Friday. This comes after the bank had earlier announced service disruption on Tuesday due to system maintenance.
In an update, Zenith Bank urged its customers that services have been restored across all its Channels, including Zenith Bank Debit, Credit and Prepaid cards, Automated Teller Machines, ATMs, Point of Sales terminals, POS, Mobile Apps, Internet Banking Platforms and Agents nationwide (Agent Banking).
This means that customers will not experience difficulties accessing services on its Channels.
“Dear Valued Customer,
We are pleased to inform you that you can now perform transactions conveniently, with the following Zenith Bankchannels:
Zenith Bank Debit, Credit and Prepaid cards
Zenith Bank Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), Zenith Bank Point of Sales terminals (POS), Zenith Bank Mobile App, Zenith Bank Internet Banking Platform Zenith Agents nationwide (Agent Banking). You can also visit any of our branches nationwide to perform your
transactions.
Source: Dailyspost
