I recorded a T.V. interview on how a school can ensure safety on their premises. One of the questions I was asked was the role of parents.

1) Be observant: it is only when you observe that you will notice unsafe acts. For example, how did you get into the school without due process? A stranger can do same. Do you always see stagnant water at a particular spot?  Do you always trip on that particular walkway?

2) Ask questions: asking questions helps provide knowledge and prevents assumption. Could it be they are genuinely unaware of the implications? Could it be they have a system in place you are not aware of? It is only when you get involved and ask that you will know if your child is safe in that school

3) Support existing effective systems: Some schools have a challenge where the parent is a rebel. When schools put systems in place to protect your child, help them do their job by complying with set safety rules. For example, you know the pickup procedure, do not give security personnel or teachers issue when you are the one disobeying

4) Make recommendations: If you see something is not done right or not done at all, make recommendations for improvement. When in doubt, invite me to help them out.

When the T.V. interview is out, I’d share so you can learn other things.

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Have you noticed the huge pile of refuse on various streets in Lagos?

It’s now beginning to encroach onto walkways. Some streets have the Skip bins provided by the government which are overflowing. On other streets, you see an assortment of plastic bags with refuse overflowing. And the rains are coming.

Last year, Lagos had a serious case of flooding and we were all surprised. Were we really surprised considering flooding has been happening in previous years? It’s bad enough that our terrain and poor planning makes some areas more prone to flooding than others. Yet, here we are not managing waste disposal properly. Very soon, some citizens will take matters in their hands and start discarding this waste into canals and drainage systems. When the rains come, we’d be worse off than last year.

The Lagos residents of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), Nigeria Cohort 1 visited the Special Correctional Centre for Boys, Oregun. The visit was intended to give the boys training in specialised areas, provide academic and welfare supplies and inspire them.

I was given the opportunity to provide some aspects of the Train Them Young Initiative (#2TYI) for them. The boys were taught the basics of fire safety, personal safety and road safety. The boys were very intelligent and disciplined. The kind of questions they asked showed an understanding of what they were learning. They also got the chance to thrill us with their talent. They are an amazing lot. Contrary to perception, not all of them are there for wrongdoing. Some are there whilst waiting for the Courts to decide custody between parents or parental decision because of their stubborness and others were rescued from the streets.

Due to the laws at the facility, we couldn’t take pictures with the faces of the kids but back view was allowed. The boys have diverse areas of interest. Some want to be musicians, pilots, engineers and there are a few who can code. Amazing right? We can help the society by helping to keep hope alive for these boys. You could contribute in cash, welfare or academic supplies or better still based on your expertise, mentor them on your career path. Practical lessons are very valuable. Let us work together to help these boys achieve their dreams. Remember, they are going to be re-introduced into the wider society. Do we want wiz kids ready to make impact or do we want societal menace?