Pan Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, has come against the killing of Sylvester Oromoni and the rampage at a secondary school in Edo State, describing them as latest ugly signs of how governments in Nigeria have failed the people.

The group in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, also expressed heart-felt condolence to the Oromonis and parents of students who were crushed to death in a recent vehicular accident in Lagos.

He said the manner in which 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. 

Ajayi then laid the blame for this unsavoury verdict on the leadership that has demonstrated lack of focus in various aspects of governance.

He said, “In this respect, both the federal and the state governments are culpable. We have not mentioned the local governments because the state governments have totally emasculated that tier of governance in flagrant violation of the Constitution and democratic ethos which those running governments at federal and states sworn to protect.”

It would be recalled that a Junior Secondary School student of Dowen College, Lekki in Lagos State, Sylvester Oromoni, died at the end of November as a result of injuries he sustained when his colleagues in the same school allegedly bullied him for refusing to join their cult group. 

Last week Friday, students of Idogbo Secondary School in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo state went on rampage because they did not want to sit for the first term examination.

They attacked the policemen who were called in by the school authority, beat teachers and set school properties on fire.

On December 4, 2021, a Senior Secondary School student identified as Michael Ogbeise, was reported to have beaten his teacher, Ezeugo Joseph, to death in Abraka, Delta State for flogging his younger sister, Promise.

According to him, such cases are now very rampart in the country, stating that these are in addition to the banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery and terrorism occurring in different parts on Nigeria which have made the country one of the riskiest to live in across the globe.

Afenifere spokesman added that the collapse of discipline and orderliness in Nigeria’s schools is reflective of the collapse of these virtues in the larger society, noting that until very recently every adult in the society was respected by the young ones while teachers were revered highly.

"No student would think of ambushing a teacher not to talk of having the temerity to attack teachers in the school as happened in the Edo and Delta States cases. But they now do such with impunity having observed the adults behaving unruly in the open society.

These incidents speak of how those governing the country have failed woefully and how our moral values have been debased. 

"Youngsters and students took to cultism and banditry after taking drugs that government agencies failed to prevent them from having access to. These young ones also delve into this immoral acts having observed same in the adults. Gone were the days when those in position of leadership were epitome of good conduct and commitment to established procedures", he said.

Ajayi added that the incidents leading to the loss of lives of students and unruliness in schools should be an opportunity for more commitment by government and other stakeholders to sanitize the education system, bring back the inspection officials, allow more democratic practices in terms of greater involvement of communities in the running of schools and above all show personal discipline by following laid-down procedures and obeying the rule of law faithfully.

He further maintained that 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, noting that parents and guardians too should be more alive to their responsibility as their failure at home is reflecting on undisciplined behavior of their children.