When children become bread-winners; the story of  ‘Squeegee boys’

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Josephine Oguntoyinbo and Saheed Ibrahim

It  was a sunny day. The traffic  moved  at snail speed, inching  forward at an agonizingly slow  pace and then stopping suddenly before  abruptly  starting again.

The acrid  exhaust  of vehicles  Plying  the  road poisoned  the air  and in the midst of  this  were some  young boys between  the ages of 10 and 16, passionately  cleaning the windscreens of vehicles’ with  soapy water and dusters as fast as  they could.

They are usually found in  groups  of about two or three  in between  Araromi  junction and Akure City Hall, Ondo State capital. After  completing the cleaning of  each  car’s windscreen, they will  approach the driver for a stipend. In  most cases they receive between N50  and  N100.

The boys, like every other regular worker, work with zeal and enthusiasm and one could see them with their plastic bottles containing soapy water and locally fabricated windshield wipers, moving from one vehicle to another when the red traffic light halts vehicles.

The boys continue to increase in number, as the  traffic builds up.

Before the coronavirus pandemic broke, young boys from the North were the major  faces involved in the  risky trade but now, the indigenes have taken over: no thanks to the novel virus, which has shut  down schools.

The boys said that they all go to school but due to the closure and inability of their parents  to properly care for  them , they  have  to work and earn some money.

The Hope also gathered that the boys make between N300 and N1, 200 on a daily basis, depending on the working hours.

When asked what they were using their proceeds for because they  looked unkempt and sometimes in tattered clothes, it was shocking as the boys revealed that their parents were aware of it as they remit their daily earnings to them.

It was gathered that some of their parents depend on the proceeds to feed  due to the current lockdown and market closure in the state, which  rendered them economically inactive.

Twelve years old Adewumi Sunday  involved in the  act,  said, “My parents are aware that I am on the road working. I remit every penny I make to them. This was also confirmed by Ayo Olatunde and Moses Adeniyi, other boys.

Ayo Olatunde  who hails from Akure said “we do go to school but we are at home because of this coronavirus pandemic. So, we are using the opportunity to work. I maake between N600 and N700  daily. My parents are aware that I am doing this work.”

Olatunde further revealed that there was a time that his  parents needed some money on  pressing issues relating to his  sister, he had to work harder to get the money for the family use.

The highest earner among the boys, Moses Adeniyi, who started the venture immediately schools were  closed as a result of the pandemic, said he made nothing less than N1000  every day.

The dark skin chubby boy said he and his peers resume  cleaning windshields  9amand close by 5pm.

“My parents are aware I work here. We feed from the proceeds” the 14–year-old boy, who is an indigene of Ekiti State told The Hope.

However, Bright Owen and Austin, who are both from Calabar, Cross River State, said that their parents were not aware of their daily adventure. Bright Owen said that he came  into the business less than a month ago.  I do make between N300  and N500 daily,” he disclosed.

The 12-year-old boy told The Hope that his parents thought he had left the job because they had warned him of the danger involved.

His words: “My parents do not know I am still doing this job. They warned me that I may be accidentally hit by a car”.

A boy who appeared to be the oldest among the boys, who simply identified himself as Austin  said  he makes about N800 daily. He disclosed that his parents thought he was working somewhere else, not cleaning windshield.

“I use my money to buy cloths and shoes,” he said.

Reacting to the development, the Director Child Development, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mr Oluwaniyi Ogunleye affirmed that the state government is committed to the full implementation of Child Right Law in the state through various measures put in place.

According to him, the state government has empowered the ministry to pursue the issue to ensure that they are protected.

The Director informed The Hope that the Ministry was working with the Federal Children Center in the state to checkmate and monitor children during school hours.

He frowned at the way children were hawking along major roads due to the COVID-19 holiday thereby causing traffic and endangering their lives.

To control this, he said that the state mobilisation vehicles are always  at public places, playing special jingles, sensitising and warning children, parents and guardians on the danger of not staying at home during this pandemic. He said the jingles will be run for some days before enforcement will be carried out by the official of the Ministry in collaboration with security agencies.

Ogunleye maintained that children are vulnerable and could easily contract virus or other diseases when exposed unnecessarily.

“The state has been very proactive in curtailing the pandemic but some parents are not supportive by allowing their children to be on the street, these are children that are supposed to be protected. We have taken bold step to stop this act before resumption”, he stressed

He therefore advised parents and guardian to ensure this vulnerable set of people stay at home. The director reminded them that children are the future leaders, hence should be well taking care of rather than exposing them to hawking and other odd jobs.

Ogunleye stressed the need for all hands to be on deck to make the state safe.