SEXUAL PERVERSION: Why teenagers lose interest in education

By Ikenna Asomba

Edward Company

SEXUAL perversion has become a menace in today's society. It has become worrisome that most teenagers and young adults no longer see virginity as a sacrosanct value. With about 500, 000 reported cases of HIV/AIDS glaring Nigeria in the face, coupled with the widespread of other sexually transmitted diseases, Mr. Edward Company, an author, counselor, motivational speaker and Regional Coordinator, Truth Foundation International (TFI), in this interview bears his mind on these debilitating issues. Excerpts:

Looking at the moral decadence in the society today, especially as regards the sexual perversion inherent amongst teenagers and youths, what do you think should be done to stemming this trend in the bud?

Well the truth is that today, we are fighting against a domestic terrorist that we in our own way sponsored and encouraged. This domestic terrorist is nothing but Sexual perversion, sexual immoralities and sexual madness amongst our teenagers and youths. I tell you, its devastating impact in our country today, is greater than the activities of Boko Haram, MEND and the Al qaedas of this world.

You find a lot of children today sexually active, with their parents turning a blind eye towards their actions, thinking it's not important. Oh, they will grow up and understand, but how will they understand if nobody tells them. According to Wikipedia, Nigeria has the second largest HIV prevailing cases in the world. They have also revealed that 5.8 per cent of our total population are HIV positive. Mind you, these are known cases alone. If you do your calculation very well, that's almost 9.8 million people.

Cross session of teenagers during a recent 3-day Summer Summit by Polished Pillars Foundation, at Dansol High School, Agindingbi, Ikeja, Lagos.

 Vanguard in its November 30, 2012 publication disclosed that in 2012, over 300, 000 cases of HIV cases were reported. Has Boko-Haram in one year killed over 300, 000 people? Now, that 300, 000 people, who is taking care of them? I was speaking with a Doctor friend of mine recently, and he disclosed to me that in his hospital, nothing less than 300 people come for their bi-weekly HIV anti-viral drugs, and only 20 per cent of them get the drugs. She said when they call Abuja for anti-viral drugs, they don't get it. So, the remaining 80 per cent go back home, without getting their drugs. And these ones are looking like everyday normal people. They don't look sickly, they are in offices and are deeply integrated into the society. Some of them sleep around, because they are promiscuous. Let me share a case with you, a little girl once told me that sir, I can I tell my dad that my grand-father has been having sex with me since I was nine years old. Who's is going to take care of that little girl now, who has been abused right from the house. Because we are not talking to the next generation about sex.

We subconsciously sponsor immoral songs and movies through the mass media, novels and worst of all, through the internet. And these little children who have no control over their hormones and emotions swallow hook line and sinker everything they see and read. These platforms are the terrorist groups which have been sponsoring these acts of sexual perversion, which is no doubt the worst terrorism in our land.

Sex education has been established as part of the curricula of schools in the country, don't you think it has helped to solving these acts of terrorism you claim?

A little bit. Because there is what we call proper knowledge about sex. It's one thing to tell a child or a young adult to be sexually cautious, and then you now tell the person to use condom, as if it's 100 per cent guarantee. With little knowledge about condom, most people just jump into it. Fixing it they don't know how; using it, they don't know how. Most people don't even care to use it, and the condom itself does not even give a 100 per cent safety guarantee. Because according to research, the pores on the body of a condom is 50 micromes. The sperm cell is 45 micromes, that means condom can't even stop pregnancy. The HIV virus is 0.1 micromes, that means about 500 HIV will pass through the body of a condom simultaneously. And you now say in the name of sexuality education that you should use condom if can't hold your sexual desire. People need to understand that the condom, which they so rely on can't even guarantee anything. They need to understand that chastity is the only way out.

Nigeria should toe the line of China, where prostitution is death sentence. This is a country where everyone depends on them for virtually all manufactured products. Why won't they move forward, when they value morality so high; why won't they give birth to children with sound brains and intelligence. It's important to note that no matter the level of education one attains in life, if such person lacks morality, it all amounts to zero. You can be a Professor, but if you are a homoxesual or promiscuous, it's all zero. But if you value morality and chastity, then you can now excel in so many other areas, because it affects your brain, your intellect, whether you are young or old.

Can you give more insight on how sexual perversion affects people's intellect ?

Yes, it does. When we sit down and fill our minds with pornography, the pornography gets into the Hypothalamus in the brain, whereby certain neuro-transmitters are secreted into the brain cells which are called dopamin or ceratonin, which gingers addiction. So, when the mind is triggered by dopamin, intelligence, academics becomes almost useless or secondary to that mind. Such a mind finds it difficult to read, understand or assimilate things that have been read. Most teenagers and youths addicted to sexual perversion such as masturbation, pornography, premarital sexual intercourse usually develop lackadaisical attitude towards everything whether it's schooling or work. You find a lot of graduates today, who can't even write application letters. Why because while they were on campus, they were just concerned about sex, relationship, promiscuity and partying about. When their mindsets have been occupied with that, they don't do well.

They cheat to write exams, cheat to write final year research projects that they can't even defend. These same people will graduate and complain that there's no work. They can't even think of other options like self employment, because they can't reason well. The sexual perversion they have pre-occupied their minds and brains with is adversely affecting them. David in Proverbs 5 vs. 26 said something to his son, 'my son, my means of a whorish woman, a man becomes a loaf of bread,' meaning a man becomes useless. So, we must by all means, pass the right message about sexuality to the next generation, otherwise it will be doomed. Already 60 per cent of Nigerian living with HIV/AIDS are between the ages of 15 and 25. That is only HIV/AIDS alone, what of people living with other sexually transmitted diseases like Chlamydae, Gonorrhea, Canchroid, Staphilococus, Syphilis, Herpes. Who's taking records of those ones. AIDS these days is not just in the blood, but in the sweat and saliva. It's time our young ones are cautioned that they are never enjoying, but destroying themselves by their uncontrollable desire for sexual perversion.

What should be the role of government and other stakeholders in combating this menace?

Their role is to pass the proper knowledge to the next generation. Let us save the remaining few that have not soiled their hands in sexual perversion. Let us go to the Primary schools to catch young the younger ones there. Many of them are under siege by uncles, aunts, neighbours and they have been frightened to shut up, not to say anything. But if right from Primary schools, children are taught the values of chastity, it's in their curriculum and they have the right books like “Behind the Curtains” and “The Truth about Virginity” written by Ralph M. Daki, then we would have ended up building a corruption-free society occupied by people of impeccable characters and qualities.

Charity they say begins at home, so how do you reconcile the challenges posed by the fact that so many parents shy away from impacting in their children the do's and dont's about sexuality education on grounds that it's an abomination to expose their young minds?

It's a very big problem. It cuts across the average upper, middle and lower class parents. Infact, most parents are sleeping on duty. They shy away from talking about these things, even when they know that it's there and it's real. Sometimes they blind-fold their eyes saying it's not possible that my young son or daughter should be having sex. I bind it in Jesus name. They go religious. Some of them will even say that in so far I'm beating my child, he can't go near that boy or girl again. The truth is that you can't beat an illness like malaria out of a person, you give the person the drug. So, what parents need to do is to first of all digest the nitty gritty of sexuality education. They must first seek knowledge themselves, so that they can now pass this message on to their children.

It's very easy for the young child to swallow it when it's coming from the mother's or father's mouth. I'm very sure most adults would hardly remember what their teachers taught them in their childhood days. But 10 years from now, you can still remember what you father or mother told you 30 years ago, because the voice of a mother or a father is 10, 000 times louder than the voices of 10, 000 teachers. You may forget the voices of 10, 000 teachers, but you can never forget what you dad or mum said to you. Whether good or bad, you must remember that oh, my dad and mum used to say this, because their voices is internal in you. So, the job is on parents to educate themselves about sexuality education, so that they can be able to pass the knowledge to the next generation, towards a better society.

This menace is getting worse. So, every parents must become a learner, because as far as we live, we are still learners. Our parents must start reading books about this issue of sex to inculcate same into their children. By 1983 when the first HIV victim was seen in Nigeria, it was on a 13 year old girl. The government didn't take it that serious until 1991. But unfortunately by 1993, about 10, 731 HIV positive people were reported. The virus is on the rise and it's not going to drop, because the generations coming are becoming more and more loose, as a result of their wrong exposures. So, until parents sit right, acquire the knowledge, and pass same unto their children, I fear for this country in years to come.

If parents are shy to tell their children not to allow anybody touch their private parts, then some immoral elements and scoundrels of the society will teach them the wrong use of their private parts. So, when a child becomes more sensitive about his or her private parts, that's the best way to start. The parents should not shy to tell their children that their body is divided into two, the private part and the public part. Parts that can be seen and the parts that should never be seen. The parts that can be touched and the parts that can never be touched. It's time parents stop saying 'bombom, 'wee wee' to their children. They should call the names, so that by the time one unscrupulous aunty or uncle touch them there, they will have the courage to say daddy, mummy, uncle or aunty touched my private parts. Moreso, parents must stop scolding their children when they start withdrawing from these so-called aunties or uncles. This is the time to be more sensitive and more inquisitive. Ask that child why he or she is becoming rude to that aunty or uncle, rather than scolding them for unjustifiable reasons and fears.