A Civil Right Activist and Author based in the Niger Delta, Isreal Joe has urged political leaders to stop using youth to intimidate and bully opponents during elections.
In an interview with The informant247, he said this act is the starting point of ugly trends of bullying in society, adding that if people are to get quality leadership through healthy electoral processes, society will automatically take a new turn.
When asked about the major causes of bullying in secondary schools, he said, “Bullying sometimes starts from the house when a child is yelled upon for every singular act either from the parents or siblings. When such comes up in school, they might not report because it’s what they have been used to from the house.
“This is as same as when such persons are coerced into joining cult by their peers. This is a very broad topic that can be dissected from different angles.
“As little of how people see the assault, or maybe someone slaps another person, or make slanderous or libellous actions, it should be taken up law. People should learn how to report cases to constituted authorities so that such issues can be dealt with properly.”
Speaking further, the Civil Rights Activist explained that “a lot of students are not from wealthy family homes even sometimes when their parents are wealthy, and they see their parents fight, they try to replicate this in school.
“Also, our unhealthy society has started affecting the school. The high rate of cultism in our society also is a major cause of bully in school.
“There are a lot of causes and it can be stereotyped from different areas on a different perspective. The economic downturn also does not allow parents to take proper care of the children because most children are abandoned by their parents while the parents go in search of daily bread.
“When you leave your children unattended, the result might not be friendly as the saying goes that charity begins at home. Our family unit has broken down so much that parents don’t allow society to correct or discipline their children hereby indirectly sending the attitude of the bully to them.”
‘The right way to tackle this menace is orientation and re-orientation
Joe identified constant orientation as the best way to end the menace.
He said, “The right way to tackle this menace is orientation and re-orientation. When your child begins to withdraw and act in certain ways, it is important to call that child to question because he might be going through bully in school and also when a child complains of unwillingness to go to a particular school which he has been attending, there might be a possibility he is being bullied.
“Schools should employ guidance counsellors whom students can talk to and report these cases. It makes it easier to tackle this menace.
“Bullying in secondary schools has been there for long. But the late Sylvester Oromoni Jr. case only brought it to the front burner due to his narration before his death. It comes as a result of senior students assaulting junior students or peers trying to oppress themselves.”
Commenting on the issue of late Sylvester Oromoni Jr, he said, “I think the issue is still being investigated as the human rights Czar, an astute lawyer Femi Falana has said the signed document was invalid for which the police and the Lagos State government relied upon. We await the next line of action but we saw in a video where the victims mentioned names which we think are not just mere fabrications.
“We smell a foul play on the side of the police and Lagos State government. However, if Dowen College Open in a hurry, we will still go there to shut it down because they are not sensitive to the recent anger in the minds of Nigerians over their negligence. We want justice for late Sylvester Oromoni.”
However, Joe insisted that bullying is leading to an unhealthy society, adding that it can metamorphose into great danger if the leaders fail to do something about it.
“The implications of bullying in our society are of a high magnitude as it has resulted in citizens losing their lives as the case of Sylvester Oromoni. It has become an issue of cultism that if not tackled, spells doom for the coming generation.
“It’s leading to a more unhealthy society and can metamorphose into great danger if our leaders fail to do something about this ugly trending menace,” he said.