ILORIN (Sundiata Post) – The Proprietor of Excellent Model Nursery and Primary School, Ilorin, Mr Peter Babajide, has advised government to tackle poverty in order to eradicate street hawking in the country.
Babajide gave the advice in Ilorin on Thursday in an interview.
According to him, government at all levels must device a strategy to ensure that the poverty level reduces, which in turn, will reduce street hawking in the country.
“Street hawking has deprived most children of their right to education, as their parents prefer sending them to the streets to make money.
“The poverty rate is alarming and it calls for urgent action from the government. Our children bear the consequences as most parents send them to hawk on the street for survival.
“Parents exploit their children and expose them to risk all in the name of survival,” he said.
Babajide, however, urged government to give out soft loans to business owners in order to boost their businesses, as a solution to the poverty level.
The proprietor also called on government to take a rigid approach towards discouraging the use of children for hawking.
“When the government profers solution to the harsh economy, the rate of child hawking will reduce.
“Put in place a policy that will discourage child hawking. Be strict and punish any parent found perpetuating such an act.
“It is too risky to expose your under-aged children to street hawking. They can be easily lured into bad acts and subject to negative vices,” he said. (NAN)
