Many years back, when I was in the university something happened one day on my way home from school at about 3pm. I saw some secondary school students also returning home from school. They were walking I believe I was behind them, not long after I saw a motorcycle rider beckoning on one of the lads to take his money so I assumed the boy boarded his motorbike, I then called the attention of the kid to the bike man, what I noticed afterwards stopped me in my strides and also made me wait to find out what was really happening.
The child turned at me and looked at the bike man and said it was not his money but the bike man insisted it was the boy’s money, you know now the child was like free money let me take it but I stopped him and asked him some questions. Did you board the bike? Where are you going to?
So I asked the bike man to give me the money to give the boy he refused. He insisted that the boy took the money from him directly. Vexed by my intrusion, the bike man became aggressive and he hurled insult at me for not minding my business. That was when I told him, I was presently observing my teaching practice in that school, so I am a teacher and I have the right to protect any child in school uniform.
This incident happened about 24 years ago. My people it just donned on me that the bike man was trying to play a fast one on an innocent child. I guess it was my instinct as a teacher that made me ask the man to hand me the money or why was he trying to force the money on the child?
The aggression of the bike man forced me to stay back until the boy and his friends boarded a bus going to the direction of their house before I left.
Guess what happened? I turned back and the bike man was nowhere to be found. I was really afraid. I did not believe my eyes. I kept asking myself if I was in a dream. What would have happened to that boy if I was not there? How many innocent children have gone like that?
The sad thing about it is that the bike man was parked around people selling snacks but they were about their own business and they paid very little attention to what was going on around them.
As parents, we need to help ourselves here. We need to be vigilant. It might not be our children but it can happen to our loved ones.
Let us help and be more careful this season.
Madame Buky Olieh is an educator, child psychologist, French tutor and master of ceremony
