By Gloria Okezie-Okafor

They were fighting at the corner of the street at the edge of a very big gutter; two kids, not more than 12 and 13, or maybe slightly older - as they often have this smallish looks owing to malnutrition.

On this street, people walked by like nothing was amiss, and carried on with their laughter or private talks. Cars moved in and out of the estate; motorbikes stationed at the estate gate, call out to potential passengers.

These kids fought hard, while their friends stood and watched: each one trying to throw the other into the big gutter. Some of the bike men who were not so keen on picking passengers, amused themselves with the scenery; trying to see who throws the other into the gutter first.

The moment I arrived the spot and was about flagging a tricycle, I realised the madness of the moment, and screaming as hard as I could stopped the two children who were fighting. I immediately ordered them to come before me. Before I arrived, some people were standing at that spot, waiting to board a bus or tricycle; and they acted indifferent to these kids.

Once I had stopped them from their fight and made them stood before me, I asked them what the problem was. Panting, struggling to catch a breath, each narrates his own side of the story. Both kids explained how a young resident in the estate was in the habit of giving them money to share amongst themselves.

This money, ranging from One Thousand Naira and a little fraction, is to be shared amongst four of five of them. The smaller kid - and the one who seems more aggressive - explained that the taller kid often took the money to himself if it was handed to him. So, the shorter kid this time outsmarted him, collected the money and shared with others, without giving the taller kid any from it. That was how the fiight broke out.

These children resides in the canal area around the estate; they are the kids from the slum; coming to sell nose coverings and other petty stuff. These are the out of school children who are exposed to Street life. They look malnourished, dirty, and without the glimpse of a beautiful future. These underaged kids are hustlers.

After both explanation, I handed a few change to the taller kid who was excluded from their supposed bounty, and asked them not to fight. Yet, I hadn't walked far when the smaller kid threatened the taller kid to more bouts. Because I was in a hurry, I refuse to stop and intervene.

This brings me to the society of young generation we are breeding today. It looks normal when we find ghetto kids fighting, we attributes it to their nature. But those of us who live in reserved area would not stand the sight of it, if they happen to be kids from our neighbourhood. But in the end, whether ghetto or not, these would come back to us.

Kids are humans, and can have their differences - just like adults. But there's everything wrong when adults stand-by and watch these innocent fights, while acting indifferent to them; it shows there's something wrong with the adults. Imagine if one of these kids had thrown the other into the big flowing gutter - we may have more serious case in our hands than we presumed.

Also, it doesn't speak well of modern day to watch these kids who are deprived of basic rights as education and good meal, plus decent environment, demonstrate such primitive behaviours. This is so because kids become what they are exposed to.

For the young man who has the habit of giving these kids money, one wonders 'what for'? Be this as it is, taking children off the streets, whether as hustlers or beggars, is a task that requires urgent attention. Societies that want to grow cannot afford to still retain 'on-the-street-children'.

If the parents of these kids were well-off, they wouldn't send their children to sell at roadside or collect free money from strangers. Not only had the parents of these kids failed them - despite their seeming difficult situation at a time like this in Nigeria - we, the rest of society, and the government especially, have failed them as well. These children would make up a part of the future of the Nigerian society.

The consciousness of fighting over money is being planted in them, albeit subtly, and this consciousness will solidify with time and get worse. The bane of today's Nigeria, is one where people would do anything for money. Sadly, we are planting this anomaly in the minds of our young and vulnerable ones.

The young man who has the habit of giving these young kids money for free, what exactly is he trying to sell? Charity or what? I wish I knew.