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Everywhere where video cassettes are sold either by the roadsides or in shops in the market places. Pornographic videos are openly displayed without qualms at different locations that include Obalende, Mushin, Agege, Ikeja, Ojota and Ojuelegba, just to mention a few. Scenes of indecent relationships between men and women in video cassettes adorn the streets of Lagos. Therefore, without any fault of theirs school children while returning from their various schools gathered and take a glance at such scenes. Other children, whose parents are not so fortunate to send them to schools for formal education so engaged in various forms of hawking. They do not have to go far to watch such movies as pornographies are thrown at their very faces. Since the authorities that are supposed to protect the younger ones from some of these awful scenes seem to pretend to be too busy even when it is obvious that they are only busy to satisfy their personal desires, the younger ones keep themselves busy feeding their eyes with the mess known as blue films.
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No doubt, in an era when most television stations transmit certain programmes that ought to be transmitted at night in broad day light, open display of pornographic pictures in open places can only further arouse the curiosity of the innocent younger ones to not only see but also to put into practice some of what they have observed this time not in secret but right under the very nose of the adults. As it is, the younger ones, especially those who do not have access to the Internet, need not log into such sites to watch what they must have heard from friends.
There have been series of complaints regarding increase in juvenile delinquency. There has equally been reported increase in cases of prostitution across the state and country. The unabashed displays of pornographies in public places do not only tell well of the people but can as well aid some of these abnormalities in the society. Investigations revealed that children in their school uniforms and those hawking besiege Obalende under bridge at the slightest chance to view pornographic materials on display, all in the name of selling video cassettes. Unfortunately, the adults that are supposed to scold them are also caught in the same web.
The same thing applies in Oshodi-Oke and other places where pornographies are flaunted for public view. Some of the children caught in the act, when asked why they were watching only smiled without giving any reason. Shortly afterwards, they started vamoosing one after the other. Surprisingly, it was gathered that most of the pornographic videos are pirated in Alaba International Market, one of the black spots of piracy in the state. Unfortunately, while the Nigeria Copyright Commission (NCC) and other stakeholders are giving piracy the serious attention it deserves, no special focus is given this particular area.
But the Lagos State Government has placed part of the task on parents and guardians as well as the media.
The government specifically canvassed for the support of members of the society at large as on its part intensifies campaign on reckless exposure of under age children to pornographic materials.
Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele noted that one of the primary essence of Governor Babatunde Fashola's Executive Order on the proscription of sales, broadcast and display of pornographic materials in open places was to protect young children from being exposed to pornography. He described the practice as inimical to the development of children.
Bamidele stated that while the state government is curbing the indecent exposure of pornographic materials in various bus stops and other public places, parents and guardians need to monitor the kind of materials their wards are exposed to daily.
"The society at large need to complement government efforts towards ensuring that young children have positive developmental progression to adulthood so that they can become responsible leaders of tomorrow," Bamidele stated.
He stated that if government could proscribe the sales, broadcast and open display of pornographic materials on the streets of the metropolis, parents, teachers and other social agents must complement governments efforts.
"Media houses owe it as a responsibility to the society to refrain from broadcasting and publishing pornographic substances. Owners of cyber cafes equally need to put under close scrutiny sites young children visit while browsing," he said.
Bamidele emphasised that more of the efforts to curb exposure of pornographic materials fall within the purview of parents, adding that certain contents of programmes uploaded on cellular phones and foreign films are another avenues where children are exposed to pornography.
For instance, Mrs. Margaret Femi narrated how her 13-year old son hid a pornographic video in his school bag. When asked how he got it, she said the boy revealed how some of his mates watched pornographies when their parents are not around. "My son said that he and his classmates bought from a video seller. I was so aghast that at first I was lost and did not even know how to handle the situation. Initially, I made the mistake of beating him, but I discovered that really made him to hide many things from me, so I employed the discourse approach. It was only then he revealed the extent they have gone," she explained.
Another woman, Mrs. Mary Apko, a primary school teacher, told our correspondent how she also caught some of her pupils with pornographic videos. On further inquiry, she stated that they got them from video sellers. According her, the pupils also told her and her colleagues how they look at pornographic pictures displayed by the roadsides and video shops. Though appropriate disciplinary actions were taken against them, she expressed reservations as to whether the pupils would not go back to get such videos again. She called for more stringent measures to control sale of pornographic tapes across the state, stressing that talking and admonishment by the teachers and parents would be more or less useless if the sales of pornographic videos are not regulated.
"Teachers and parents will continue to play their part, but in the present situation whereby pornographic video cassettes are displayed openly, it is bound to slow down the progress. Government must restrict their sale, thank God that Lagos Government is making the efforts now," she noted.
Scenarios such as these are daily occurrences in some homes, especially where parents keep such videos improperly, but many parents would rather shield their wards from exposure for one reason or the other.
Speaking on the negative impact of pornographic videos openly displayed in attempt by their sellers to woo customers, Chairman of a Non-Governmental Organisation, Mr. Jude Owonikoro, faulted the current mode of cajoling customers to buy their products. For him, the mere fact that a person deals in the sale of cassettes and video tapes automatically translates to the fact that such a person may have such videos and thus he does not need to display them before the eyes of everybody to sell them.
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"It is wrong for people to display pornographic video cassettes in the open like it is being done across Lagos. It is sad that nobody is saying anything while our children are exposed to these pornographies right before our very eyes," he stated.
A cross section of Lagosians also expressed support for the government to take necessary measures to curb the practice. Religious bodies should equally play their roles to save young generation from the danger. "It is a very bad practice and all hands must be deck to stop it from destroying our young ones," stated a concerned Lagosian at Obalende.
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