The Ogun State Government has revoked the temporary licences issued to 20 private orphanage owners operating in the state for failing to comply with regulations and legislation aimed at protecting the well-being and safety of vulnerable children in their care.
Adijat Adeleye, the state Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, said this on Friday during a meeting with members of private orphanages at the ministry’s conference room in Abeokuta, the state capital.
Adeleye voiced displeasure with some private orphanage operators’ actions, indicating that the state will not allow shady tactics such as illicit adoption, child trafficking, or maltreatment of children in their care.
She emphasized that orphanages ought to function with empathy, providing vulnerable children with care and empowerment while abstaining from any actions that would jeopardize their safety.
She urged them to follow established norms, saying that the current administration is dedicated to ensuring children’s wellbeing and eliminating exploitation.
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The commissioner clarified that since the primary goal of running an orphanage is to benefit society by providing humanitarian aid, anyone found to be deficient in their performance of their obligations will face legal action.
She went on to say that the ministry has improved the way it gathered data so that the quantity of kids sent to the orphanages was counted and appropriately documented.
“The state government’s actions aim to protect vulnerable children and maintain the integrity of orphanage services,” she said.
“About 20 orphanages with provisional licences were affected but not all of them were involved in various sharp practices like not following due guidelines on child adoption among other contraventions.
“But we have withdrawn the provisional licences of these 20 orphanages. We want to take our time to dig deeper and ensure that they are all doing the right things
“We have told the affected orphanages to reapply after a month and we have given additional guidelines to those with permanent licences to ensure that the standard is not compromised,” she said.
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
Nnamdi Okoli
