OUR HOPE, OUR FUTURE: WHEN LUST TAKES OVER
source: http://www.eyesoflagos.com/2017/05/our-hope-our-future-when-lust-takes-over.html

My day started in the most uneventful way and ended with tears of pain. I came online on Facebook at about 5:00PM to stay updated but the first thing I saw on my news feed broke my heart. It was a link to an eye witness account of a crime that happened in the heart of Lagos on the 3rd day of May, 2017; an account that explains what happens when lust takes over the hearts of our future, the younger generation. Some may have read the account already but for the sake of those who are just hearing this for the first time, I am going to give a brief summary of the account before proceeding to write what I have to say. Please see the link at the end of this article to read the full witness account.

A group of high school boys, probably teenaged just finished their final exams and were in a celebratory mood. They decided to take the celebration to another level and express their joy by attempting to molest some of the female students of another school close to theirs who had just finished their final exams as well. These boys stole the cellphones and transportation fare of their victims. They expertly used scissors to rip their skirts and spandex, in an attempt to rape them in broad day light. What is worse is that there were several onlookers, their fellow school boys, cheering these boys on and some of the security officers were said to have been videotaping the gruesome incident instead of performing their duties; providing security for these girls or calling for help. It took the courage of a woman, Michale Matthew to prevent whatever intent they had.

Let me pause here and ask this;
What future is there for our country Nigeria or the world at large when wickedness has already begun to take root in the hearts of the younger generation? There is a part of this story I still cannot seem to wrap my head around and I feel the need to address. Two of the boys attempted to rape one of the girls at the same time, one attempting to penetrate from the front and another from the back. Where did our children learn to do such disgusting act? They even knew where to cut with the scissors for ease of access, for their pleasure. This is the extent to which pornography is wrecking the lives of the younger generation; turning boys into lustful beings and teaching them to see girls as sex objects, instruments to utilize for the purpose of achieving sexual satisfaction. In the average Nigerian home, the word pornography does not exist. Needless to say, anything sex-related is hardly ever discussed openly. Somehow, for whatever reason, parents do not see the need to talk about anything bordering on sex with their children. These children, out of curiosity, start to explore their sexuality on their own from all the wrong sources. Most children are no longer taught to guard their hearts [i.e. to be mindful of the things they watch and listen to] and so it is not a surprise that our boys do not even know how to regard our girls anymore. What is worse is that if this is left unchecked, these boys will grow into men and eventually, fathers who will then go ahead to raise sons with the same mindset.

This is a call to action on the part of the Nigerian parent, teachers and everyone else. We all have a role to play. The threat that pornography [and even sexually suggestive music videos] pose to the younger generation is very real. I think its high time we stopped religionizing these things; blaming the evil acts on the devil and deal with this issue from the root. This is what happens when lust takes over; when their thoughts see an opportunity to express themselves in actions. Every action that happens today was first a thought and thoughts are formed as a result of what we sense; our 5 senses especially what we see and what we hear. What do your children watch? What do your younger ones’ watch? Who are their friends? Who do they listen to? It is true that you cannot follow these ones around and monitor their every move but how much do you pray for them? Please do not say that the ones who committed this atrocity are not your children or siblings therefore you choose to ignore this by saying it is not your business. It is your business and if you do not start to watch out, it could happen to you as well. If the lady who stopped her car to save those girls, who were not even her biological children had driven off and ignored the noise, the story would have been different and even worse because these boys had already stolen the pocket money and cellphones of their victims. We need to rise up and take charge in whatever way we can. So many comments yesterday got me thinking. One of them suggested a secondary school outreach where we take out time from our busy schedules to visit schools and impart positively in the lives of these young ones. If you feel you do not have the time for that, the greatest service you can do is to pray for the younger generation but please do not look the other way. It is your business. The time for silence on these matters is over.
Before I draw the curtain on this, I’d like to ask where the sanity and sympathy of the Nigerians has gone too. Has our love for each other grown so cold that we now prefer to update our status with live videos and pictures of a crime in progress instead of looking for a way to help? It is good to have video evidence of a crime but since when has video evidence taken precedence over a human life? God bless the woman, Michale Matthew who stopped her car to help. God bless all those who took out the time to see those girls to safety. An update on the story indicates that the Lagos government has taken up the case and are doing something about it. To read the full eye witness account, please click here I do hope that we all learn the right lessons from this and help out in the way we can. Do something right. Be a voice that guides these ones the right way.


God bless Nigeria