News
Bullying: Dysfunctional Homes, Domestic Violence Are Factors — Psychologist
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Following the viral videos of bullying incidents at an Abuja rich kids’ school and the attendant outrage on social media, PATIENCE IVIE IHEJIRIKA speaks to an expert about causes and red flags of the menace.
A psychiatrist/psychologist with the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Dr. Charles Umeh, has said that bullying, especially among children, is common with kids who are subjected to domestic violence or are witnessing domestic violence in their homes.
He also said that some children, by nature of the kind of environment they grow up in, tend to be violence-oriented.
According to him, such children tend to drive their self esteem by overpowering others, saying this is one of the reasons they want to attach themselves to other persons, maybe trying to hang out with others in cultism and other boys’ groups.
Dr. Umeh, however, identified another aspect as personality disorder in children, saying; “The only thing we can look at is probably disorder in children which might metamorphoses into antisocial personality.
“Now these are people that by nature of their psychological makeup don’t want to be authority figures and they take delight in seeing others suffer and to them, its fun, so that is why we call it a personality disorder and they are very manipulative at the same time,” he explained.
Explaining further, the psychologist said: “When you talk about bullying, especially among the young ones, it is common among those ones who have witnessed their fathers beating their mothers or those ones that are subjected to domestic violence and because children learn vicariously, they always think that they can always get the things they need by getting on top of others.
“When you look at bullying in primary schools and secondary schools you may begin to ask yourself, do they follow the same pattern? In primary schools, you could see that the reason could be from watching what happens at home, dysfunctional homes, domestic violence.
“It could also be the kind of upbringing they have. Now when the upbringing is such that children are allowed to do whatever they want to do, and you know most young children want to avoid anything that is stressful, so in an attempt to do that, they end up not obeying rules, not knowing the standard that is expected of them outside, so they are kind of susceptible to group behaviour or group activities so that they will belong.
“So you can see that there are so many contexts, depending on how you are looking at it. And whatever it is, bullying has negative emotional consequences to the victims.”
On how to know if a child is being bullied, Dr Umeh said when you see that a child that is doing well, suddenly his or her morale begins to drop, and some of the skills the child has acquired before, he or she begins to drop them, or even becomes very nervous, and beginning to withdraw, it is possible that the child is being bullied.
Leadership
The First Lady, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, on Saturday, refuted reports that she will be leading a seven-day national prayer for Nigeria.
This followed a report last week that Mrs Tinubu and the National Security Adviser, Mrs Nuhu Ribadu, will spearhead a national prayer session to tackle the country’s numerous challenges.
The reports quoted the Director-General of the National Prayer Forum, Segun Afolorunikan, announcing the event in Abuja.
Afolorunikan had said the initiative, coordinated with Christian and Muslim religious leaders, intends to seek divine intervention for the country’s socio-economic and security issues, under the theme ‘Seeking the Intervention of God in Nigeria’s Affairs.’
“Christians will meet at the National Ecumenical Centre for a week of intense prayer, with prayer warriors from various denominations focusing their efforts on the nation’s adversities,” said the convener.
However, the First Lady has denied knowing any such arrangement saying a call for prayer must be done “willingly, conscientiously and correctly.”
Mrs Tinubu’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mrs Busola Kukoyi, conveyed this in a statement she signed Saturday titled ‘First Lady of Nigeria Oluremi Tinubu, CON refutes organising national prayer.’
It read, “This is to clarify and inform the general public that the First Lady of Nigeria is not organising a national prayer.
“The news making rounds in some conventional and social media platforms is unfounded and misleading.
“Consequently, anyone who might have come across the purported news of the joint National Prayer for Nigeria should disregard it as false.”
Kukoyi said the First Lady, a Christian and strong advocate of prayer and praying for Nigeria, believes that prayer is an act that must be done willingly, conscientiously and correctly.
“She also believes that praying for Nigeria is the responsibility of every Nigerian, irrespective of religious belief, political affiliation, tribe or tongue.
“Members of the public are advised to verify the authenticity of any news or event involving the First Lady of Nigeria or her office through official channels,” the statement concluded.
A building of 25 shops has been gutted by fire in the early hours of Saturday in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital.
According to the state fire service, the incident occurred at Adeta roundabout at about 02.39 hours.
A statement in Ilorin on Saturday by the spokesman of the service, Hassan Adekunle, said the firefighters, upon arrival, found a block of about 25 shops engulfed in flames.
“Thanks to the swift action and bravery of the Kwara State fire service officers, only three shops suffered damage, including a soft drinks and alcohol shop.
“Preliminary investigations indicated that the fire was caused by a power surge,” the statement disclosed.
The Director of the State Fire Service, Prince John Falade Olumuyiwa, expressed sympathy for the affected shop owners, offering prayers for the restoration of their losses.
He also urged the public to prioritize safety and ensure all electrical appliances are unplugged when not in use.
The newly emerged terror group known as Lakurawa, is reportedly offering as much as one million naira to young men in exchange for their allegiance.
This was made known on Saturday by Zagazola Makama, a Lake Chad Basin counterterrorism and insurgency expert, in a post on his X handle.
Makama disclosed that an impeccable source informed him that Lakurawa, allegedly composed of individuals from Mali, Chad, Libya, Niger, and Burkina Faso, was actively recruiting local youths in Sokoto through substantial financial incentives.
He stated that according to witnesses’ accounts, the financial lure is part of an aggressive recruitment campaign aimed at attracting followers to their cause.
The security expert said that Lakurawa, unlike traditional criminal gangs, reportedly adhere to extremist ideologies linked to the Khawarij sect, similar to the beliefs of Boko Haram.
Makama added: “Local sources suggest that they employ a combination of financial incentives and ideological influence to gain support among vulnerable communities.
“Beyond the recruitment, the Lakurawa reportedly confront and expel bandits and confiscate their cattle in areas under their control.
Watch video below:
https://twitter.com/ZagazOlaMakama/status/1855319733282758848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
First Lady denies leading national prayer
25 Shops destroyed as fire guts building in Ilorin
New terror group Lakurawa offers N1m incentives to recruit Sokoto youths + Video
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