Sylvester Oromoni: Violence in Schools Sign of Govts’ Failure, Says Afenifere

• Afenifere says the violence witnessed in some schools recently is an indication of how governments in Nigeria have failed young people
• The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation was reacting to the death of Sylvester Oromoni, the 12-year-old student of Dowen College, Lekki
• The organisation also lamented over the recent cases of violence in some secondary schools across the country

Ibadan - The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, on Thursday, December 9 described the killing of Sylvester Oromoni, the 12-year-old student of Dowen College, Lekki, allegedly beaten to death by some of his mates, as an ugly sign of how governments in Nigeria have failed the people.

Afenifere, in a statement by its spokesman, Mr Jare Ajayi, said how adolescents die in Nigeria and the increasing banditry among children in schools are:

“Clear indications that the country’s present has not only been jeopardized, its future has also been imperiled.”

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Emotional photos as Dowen College's parents forum holds candlelight procession for Sylvester Oromoni

The statement seen by Legit.ng read in parts:

“Cases of such unruly behaviour are now very rampant in the country. These are in addition to the banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, and terrorism occurring in different parts of Nigeria. Situations that have made the country one of the riskiest to live in across the globe.

“The collapse of discipline and orderliness in our schools is reflective of the collapse of these virtues in the larger society. Until very recently, every adult in the society was respected by the young ones while teachers were revered very highly.

“State governments should remove their stranglehold on local governments so that the third tier can, along with the communities they serve, pay more attention to the educational institutions in their respective areas.”

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Sylvester Oromoni: Police question 4 more Dowen College students

Dowen College parents forum reacts to Sylvester Oromoni's death

Meanwhile, the parents’ forum of Dowen College, Lekki, Lagos has called for harsh punishment for the killers of Sylvester.

The Guardian newspaper reports that the parents, who held a candlelight procession in honour of the late student at the school premises, said they relied on the authorities to ensure that justice was done regardless of the social statuses of the culprits.

Dowen College parent narrates how her son was bullied months ago

In a related development, a parent in Dowen College has revealed that her son faced a similar ordeal to that of the late Sylvester a few months ago.

The mother shared her experience during a zoom meeting organised by the Concerned Parents and Educators’ network – a group of about 200,000 parents and educators started by education branding specialist, Mrs Yinka Ogunde on Saturday night, December 4.

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Sylvester Oromoni: My son was bullied at Dowen College, Parent reveals

The woman went on to say that girls in the school were lucky because the woman in charge, Madam Celine, was a disciplinarian.

Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu mourns Sylvester Oromoni, Jnr

On her part, the First Lady of Lagos state, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu on Monday, December 6 commiserated with the parents of Sylvester, describing the circumstances surrounding his death as heartbreaking.

A distraught Dr Sanwo-Olu said the incident was a big slap on the face of the education sector, the community, and Lagos state as a whole.

She further described the incident as unfortunate, saying never again should it reoccur in the state.

Source: Legit.ng