Saturday, August 31, 2024 - The Ogun State Government has revoked the provisional licences granted to 20 private orphanage owners operating in the state due to non-compliance with regulations and laws prioritising the well-being and safety of vulnerable children in their care.
The state Commissioner for Women
Affairs and Social Development, Adijat Adeleye, disclosed on Friday during a
meeting with members of private orphanage homes at the ministry’s conference
room, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, in the state capital.
Adeleye expressed displeasure over
some private orphanage owners’ activities, stating that the state would not
tolerate shady practices involving illegal adoption, child trafficking or
maltreatment of children in their custody.
She emphasised that orphanages should
operate with empathy by empowering and caring for vulnerable children and not
doing anything to compromise their safety.
She said the present administration
was committed to safeguarding children’s welfare and preventing exploitation,
urging them to adhere to laid down guidelines.
The commissioner explained that the
essence of operating an orphanage is to give back to society through
humanitarian services and as such, anyone found wanting in the discharge of
their duties would be prosecuted,
She added that the ministry had taken
steps to improve its data collation, to ensure that the number of children
brought to the orphanages was recorded and properly 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But we have withdrawn the provisional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 sai
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