The Deputy Bursar of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), has declared that street hawking by children is not a crime, especially if the children do so when they are not meant to be in school.
According to him, it was possible for a family to face economic recession even while the rest of the country was experiencing growth, hence, the need for children to help the family in making ends to meet.
Oba stated this at the 9th Muktar Isale-Koto Annual Islamic Lecture held in the university on Tuesday. He said: “I and members of my age group in those days hawked to augment the family income while we were children, yet many of us turned out successful professionals.”
Oba further charged Muslims to restrain them from falling into the temptation of corruption, saying the vice was endemic among public servants.
Mallam Lukman Isale-Koto of the Bursary Unit of the university called for a paradigm shift in thinking that troublesome children were only fit for Islamic schools. He urged managers of Arabic and Islamic institutions to upgrade their services by providing children-friendly environment conducive for learning.
Sheikh Muhydeen Al-Kubrah, the Chief Imam and Missioner of the UK-based Ansarul Rahman Islamic Association stressed the need for quality parenting. “It is indispensable in our quest for national development,’’ he said.