The gruesome death of Miss Favour Sewanu Daley-Oladele, 400- Level Theatre Arts student of the Lagos State University (LASU), who was allegedly lured by her boyfriend, Adeeko Owolabi, has again thrown up issues bordering on revival of African values and morals, especially among the youth. ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA and DAMOLA KOLA-DARE report.
It is no longer news that Miss Favour Sewanu Daley-Oladele, a Lagos State University (LASU) final year undergraduate of Theatre Arts and Music, was allegedly lured by his 23-year-old boyfriend Adeeko Owolabi and, thereafter, killed for money ritual.
Her burial has been put on hold following the ongoing probe by the Lagos State government. But the circumstances that surrounded her death continue to throw up many posers.
Her case has again brings to light the erosion of African values and proper parenting, desire for self-governance, avarice, lack of discipline, self-security, desperation for wealth, especially among teenagers and young adults, among others.
Tributes have continued to pour in on the social media from fellow students, friends and concerned Nigerians who seek justice for Daley-Oladele.
Lagos State University Vice Chancellor, Prof Lanre Fagbohun, told our reporter on Monday that the institution was still mourning the deceased. Nevertheless, Faghohun said the incident jolted the university to again re-engineer its Guidance&Counselling Unit for better performance, particularly in ensuring students are mindful of their security.
Fagbohun said:”I want to say that the entire university is still traumatised by the incident.’’
He went on: “We cannot take away the fact that these students are young adults and they are entitled to be in a relationship. But for an innocent soul to fall into this kind of trap is something I would describe as sordid.
“The university is making efforts to ensure that we mobilised to seek justice for one of our own. But beyond that, we are trying to work with the university’s Guidiance&Counselling Unit to devise new methods; so we continue to review our activities with respect to giving these students orientation on how to ensure their own safety while in school.”
True, the slain Daley-Oladele was a victim of circumstances. A young adult, and a final year undergraduate, one could not say her decision to have a partner was wrong.
However, innocently, she fell into wrong hands. Her so-called 23-year-old lover, Adeeko Owolabi, invited her to Osun State State. Unknown to her, an ambush was laid on her path.
She was eventually drugged and taken to a Cherubim & Seraphim Church at Ikoyi-Ile where she was killed and her remains dismembered for rituals.
Though Owolabi and his partner in crime-his mother Mrs Adeeko, and the C&S ‘’pastor’’ Segun Phillips, are in police custody, The Nation sought the views of parents, teachers, religious leaders and counsellors, among others, on the growing inclination to the get-rich quick syndrome by youths and the responses were revealing.
The immediate past Director, Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, Dr Mahfouz Adedimeji, agreed that there is an erosion of values, which has brought about ‘’poor parenting syndrome’’. He noted that the society has become ‘’dysfunctional’’, hence everyone has failed, including parents and youths, who engage in unethical practices.
He said: “Our value system has, unfortunately, gone south. It is pathetic that ours is a dysfunctional society because there is what I once called ‘poor parenting syndrome’. The whole scenario is a tragedy of errors. Parents fail their children, society fails the people and governments fail the citizens.’’
“It was the failure of parenting that would make a girl travel with a boy without her parent’s knowledge. It is the failure of the society that it breeds criminals that perpetrate such heinous evils.
The society glorifies wealth at the expense of morality. Those who are glorified as celebrities are social misfits. They influence the youth negatively.The government is not proactive to prevent crime but is only reactive.
“Those who negatively influence the youth now are the entertainers, the actors/actresses and the musicians. Their flamboyant lifestyles and antisocial behaviours steeped in immorality have the biggest influence on the youngsters.
Corroborating Adedimeji, Deputy Provost, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), Oto/Ijanikin, Dr Deborah Dele-Giwa, lamented that real and proper parenting is evaporating in the society.
According to her, a child spends a substantial part of his/her time at home than in schools, and this demands that parents must be up to the task in entrenching the right values in them.
“What we call education is not the certificate you are issued. Education is for you to be mentally, spiritually, psychologically, and emotionally stable,” Dele-Giwa began.
“Our children today are ‘parents’ children’; I mean parents that were not properly nurtured by their own parents; so they hardly find anything wrong in what their own children do.
“We need to revisit the home values. Most of what we see today is as a result of westernisation. Nonetheless, that does not mean that westernisation has come to destroy us. We can pick the good thing westernisation has brought while still retaining our own values.”
Dele-Giwa equally lambasted religious homes especially churches for not living up to their responsibilities.
She added: “If you recall the kind of church we attended in our youthful days, the kind of picture that was painted of God was so enigmatic that we did not have a choice than revere Him.
“I’m a Christian today but I came from a Muslim background. But I can tell you that such reverence can only be found among some Muslim faithful and some traditionalists.
For instance, adherents of Sango (god of thunder) believe if you swear falsely before their god, thunder will strike you dead. Same with Muslims too. But in modern day Christianity, many churches have turned God to a weakling as if He could be helped.
“I have seen a scenario where a pastor from a church asked the youth mostly unemployed, to donate certain amount. Where do you expect such young people to get the money if they don’t cut corners? Today, our society celebrates mostly the rich without bothering to question the source of their wealth.
On Owolabi being aided by her mother to perpetrate ritualism, an octogenarian parent ,Mrs Olaosebikan Animashaun who resides in Ikorodu, describes the act as a reflection of moral bankruptcy many parents of nowadays are guilty of.
“Imagine, many parents don’t even care when their wards bring home expensive clothes and other things. Imagine you as parent using a phone of N10,000 and your child uses of phone worth over N100,000; yet you cannot question him or her.
It is even more terrible nowadays as some children who are in school send money to their parents at home. So,will such parents have the confidence to demand where that child got such huge amount?”
In what seems a contrast, a parent, Mrs Adeyemi, disagreed that parents are lackadaisical towards their wards in tertiary institutions. Adeyemi challenged youths to make their parents their confidants in everything, including their intimate relationship and at every point of their whereabouts.
“I do not think parents should be blamed. I believe youths of nowadays should confide more in their parents whatever they are going through. They should not see themselves as adults.
They have not really experienced life. Then, it is important their parents know who they are dating. It is for their own good. A youth who does not want his or her parents to know his or her whereabouts is walking a tightrope because no friend is to be trusted,” she counselled.
A student of Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), Aramide Adebayo, who lent her voice to the debate, noted it was unfortunate the LASU student fell victim of an evil boyfriend. She said that she couldn’t move with someone without her parent’s knowledge. Apart from being strict, Adebayo said the values inculcated in her are serving her very well.
Her words: “It is sad and unfortunate that the LASU lady had to die like that in the hands of her evil boyfriend. For me, I can’t move with someone without letting my parents know. I am very sensitive to such issues.
Though my parents are very strict, I try to also be careful with those I chose as friends. Parents should be more strict with their children no matter what. They should not say because they are in the university, so far they are still under the same roof.
Another parent, Mr Niyi Wahab, believes in some cases, parents are non-chalant not because they want to, but because of their children’s demand for self governance. Wahab noted that some youths believe they are old enough; hence the ‘I-know-it-all’ inclination.
“Some parents exhibit non-chalant attitude towards their children because they believe they are now adults. In fact, some of these children believe they are knowledgeable and experienced.
They won’t listen to their parent’s advice because they believe they are up to date. They are in computer age. Some even go as far as calling their parents old-fashioned or old school. It is terrible,” he said.
For Mrs Bisi Olawole nevertheless, there is moral decadence in the land, and that is why a man will murder his supposed girlfriend because of a desire quick wealth.
Further she said whether parents are blamed or not, the main issue is the need for the youths to have a new mindset, and learn to inculcate sound values.
“No matter how parents try their best, some children still tend to engage in social vice. The youth need a new orientation. They need to be value-driven,” she concluded.
Source: https://thenationonlineng.net/lasu-students-death-stakeholders-seek-moral-rebirth/