By Daniel Tyokua
The Scouts Association of Nigeria (TSAN ) has unveiled plans to curb terrorism, child abuse and organ harvesting.
Briefing journalists in Abuja, Thursday, the Chief scout commissioner of Nigeria, Mr Dave Padopads – Awubah, said the association was engaging more youths in social activities to keep them busy.
He also urged the Federal Government to support funding of The Scout Association of Nigeria at all levels of educational institutions towards using the avenue to inculcate moral and national values in the teaming youths of the country.
Awunah said investment in the moral and character development of youths through the instrumentality of scouting activities will drastically minimize vices and criminality among youths.
He lamented that most youths had embraced vices such as drug abuse, cultism and yahoo-yahoo activities due to lack of effective sensitization on the consequences.
The Commissioner explained that with adequate funding from the Government, many Nigerians , especially school age people will find the Association attractive to join, and when they are properly informed, the society will be better for it, thereby minimizing bandatry, terrorism and kidnapping among others.
He therefore appealed to FG to reinstate the policy of monthly subvention and grants to the 36 States SCOUT Councils that was stopped about 3 decades ago ; and make a policy for compulsory scouting in all public and secondary schools in Nigeria.
Specifically, he decried the ungodly trend of Nigerians harvesting their vital organs of the body for sales, just to make quick money, insisting that with the right orientation and an enabling economically vibrant environment, such deadly venture would be jettisoned.
According to him, the Vision of the Scout Association among other things revolves around developing young people through a value system based on Scout laws and promise, mobilize for peace and stimulate positive community service.
To this end, Mr Padopads- Awunah assured that the leadership of the Scout Association would carry out series of events to reawaken SCOUT consciousness on Nigerians and decorate President Buhari as National Patron of SCOUT.
He also hinted that the Association has resolved to lunch campaign against drug and child abuse, prostitution, human organ harvesting and trafficking, plant 3 million Trees within the year as well as lunch ‘Kit A Scout’s program targeted at attracting additional 3million young Scouts by 2025 across the federation.
“Sadly, scouting has over the years diminished to the disadvantage of young people and the nation. The clear absence of the role of scouting in tailoring the minds of young people is clearly shown in the inexplicable crisis of youth mismanagement. Vices like secret cultism, Terrorism, fraud, Trafficking of Vital human organs, drug abuse, trafficking of persons and prostitution have reduced Nigeria to a land of the unknown” Awunah said.
