Samuel Tunji, 13, works daily at a brook in Angwan Police, Masaka, in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, excavating sharp sand from the stream. Alongside his 12-year-old friend, Emmanuel Ogwu, Samuel gathers a large heap of sand from morning until evening, earning just N400 per heap.
In an interview with AkweyaTV, Samuel explained that they undertake this labour to afford a meal each day. Emmanuel Ogwu saves his earnings with his mother, who eventually buys him something significant at the end of the season.
Both boys revealed that they couldn’t attend school this term because their parents couldn’t afford the fees. When asked why they didn’t go to the free government public primary school, they explained that the school is far from their home, and the transportation costs and other school-related expenses remain costly.
Their employer, a woman who declined to speak, periodically checks on them while they work. She provides them with tools, such as shovels and rubber buckets, to transport the sand from the valley to the uphill shore of the stream.
The boys work without food under the scorching sun until evening, hoping to save enough for a full meal at the end of the day. Although they chose not to disclose the identities of their parents, Ogwu mentioned that his mother leaves a one-year-old baby in his care while she goes to the market, returning at night. The baby was seen lying under an orange tree, where Ogwu attended to him intermittently.
The Child Rights Act of 2003 prohibits child labour detrimental to their development and sets the minimum employment age at 15. It allows children aged 14 to work if it doesn’t interfere with their education.
As Nigeria celebrates Children’s Day on May 27, there is an urgent need for the government, organisations, and well-meaning Nigerians to provide support for poor families and help out-of-school children return to education.
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