By Blessing Ejiofor, Communication Officer, UNICEF Nigeria
Lagos, 15 February 2021 – The day began as usual for Oluwakemi Musa, until she arrived home for a change of clothes and found the police officers waiting for her.
Till that point, her teenage days had been spent largely in the streets – hanging out with gangs, skipping classes, spending nights away from home and not disclosing her whereabouts to her mum. But now the police had arrived from nearby Ilupeju station, after her weary and worried mother had lodged a complaint about her delinquency.
At first, the 16-year-old thought it was a joke. But when the officers insisted she accompany them to the station for a chat, she felt fear and panic rise. “It dawned on me that spending time at a police station was not something I wanted to experience,” she says now.
The officers had pre-arranged with her mum to take her to Grace Springs Rehabilitation Home, where UNICEF, in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Youths & Social Development, operates a six-month rehabilitation programme for children in conflict with the law for minor offences or at risk of re-offending. The programme diverts children from the criminal justice system into the child justice system.
For more than 15 years, Grace Springs Home has provided children living on the streets with counseling, vocational training, educational support, family reunion and assistance for pregnant teens. “Out of over one thousand children that have benefitted from this scheme, more than 50 per cent are stable and reintegrated into society,” says Omolara Olawoyin, Executive Director of Grace Springs. “About 70 per cent have completed secondary education, 30 per cent have graduated from tertiary institutions and many others either have completed or are currently undergoing various apprenticeship schemes.”
Road to recovery
In her six months at Grace Springs, Oluwakemi acquired basic communication skills, learned resilience, became more self-aware and improved her relationships with people – especially her mum. She wanted to make the best of the opportunity, so she made some changes to avoid distractions. “I changed my mobile phone number to cut off access with my street friends,” she says.
Progress was slow but steady, as she resumed her studies and basketball training, which had suffered during her time on the streets.
Now her daily regime involves going to school and doing her homework, followed by tailoring lessons in the afternoon. “I have always wanted to learn tailoring but never had the opportunity,” she says. The programme has helped her realize that dream, and she now hopes to open a fashion outlet someday.
But perhaps her greatest accomplishment has been in basketball, as the home facilitated her returning to active training at the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos. The training location was quite a distance from Grace Springs, which could be demotivating, especially with Lagos’ bad traffic situation. Nonetheless, she kept her eyes on the ball, and it eventually paid off, as she was invited to join the national team representing Nigeria at the United Arab Emirates World Games in Abu Dhabi in 2019. Her team also represented Nigeria at the Special Olympics Games in Chicago in 2019 and she was invited to Dublin to receive an award as the “Ambassador of Special Olympics Nigeria” in the same year.
Looking back, Oluwakemi feels privileged and thankful for the opportunity to gain her life back.
I now know that every child living on the street carries some greatness waiting for the right opportunity to unfold.
Unfortunately, not everyone gets that second chance and many end up languishing in jail, says Denis Onoise, UNICEF Lagos Child Protection Specialist. “By the time a child spends some time, no matter how little, in prison or a correctional home, the reality is that the child comes out hardened and more inclined to committing crime,” he says.
“UNICEF is proud to be part of this scheme that enables young people to bounce back from life’s unpleasant experiences instead of ending up in jail, which could result in them not attaining their full potential,” says Onoise.
Now a role model and an advocate, Oluwakemi engages other youths in her community on the dangers of yielding to negative peer pressure, drawing from her own experience. “If I can get some of them to change their perspective, their eyes would open to the limitless potential they have but are not utilizing, because of the lure of street life,” she says.
Culled from unicef.orgnigeriastories
First Published 2021
