YOUR VIEW: IS SEX EDUCATION A MUST OR NOT?

WHAT’S UP EVERYBODY? WELCOME BACK TO THE BLOG! *screams*

It’s a new day, a new week, a fresh start of doing everything all over again in a more fun manner, hopefully. I’m so sorry I’m posting so lateeeeeeeee. I literally did not hold my phone throughout today cause I had to go do my NIN (National Identity Number) so they don’t block my sim🙄 and then, I did my LASSRA as well, to prove that I’m a resident of Lagos State. After that, I took my sister to school cause she had to register for her classes blah blah blah… you get the gist! It was a very busy day and I’m hella tired. I CANNOT WAIT TO SLEEP IN TOMORROW!

I’ve got something interesting lined up for you guys as you can tell from the topic but I thought that we should first have a storytime! Y’all know I love to tell you stories of me being dumb once in a while and this story I’m about to tell you probably tops the list.

WARNING: If you’re currently eating or you like beans then please scroll further down the post.

STORYTIME

So there was period in my life, this was in primary school, when I thought maggots came with beans. Like for real…

I don’t know if you guys ever noticed that there’s this part of the beans, the hilum…

Whenever the beans is cooked, the hilum turns white.

So one peculiar day, we were eating beans and I noticed it, for the first time in my life, and the first thing that came to my head was “Oh my God! There are maggots in my beans!”. I don’t know how my brain interpreted that they were maggots but I believed it with my whole heart. I immediately told my siblings and then they noticed it as well and because I said it, they believed it. We ate our meal with utmost disgust.

The next time we ate beans, we noticed it again and then the next and the next and the next and on and on, we believed that there were maggots in our beans. In my mind, I was like “Maybe it’s from where my mum bought the beans”.

The next time my mum bought beans, we cooked it again and we saw the same thing. Then I finally told my mum that we think there are maggots in the beans and then we showed her the white stuff. She was like, “What are you talking about? That is a part of the beans”. That was when my brain decided to interpret it properly.

Believe me guys, I have never felt so stupid in my life. Never!

Moving on from me embarrassing myself,

TODAYYYYYYY we are having our first YOUR VIEW chapter for 2021. The most exciting part is that 3 out of 4 of the guests are FIRST TIME GUESTS!!!! 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳. Already starting off on an awesome note!

Introducing the blog guests!

BLOG GUESTS

And now, to the Q/A

Q/A

1. In your terms, what is sex education?

Naza: The teaching of people both young and old all about sex especially how to have safe and responsible sex.

Bukola: Sex education is the instructions of issues relating to human sexuality in both genders including emotional relations and responsibility, sexual activity, sexual reproduction, age of consent, safe sex, birth control and sexual abstinence.

Nneka: Sex education basically is the provision of information about human sexuality, body development, sexual intercourse and relationships along with skill building to help the young to communicate about making informed decisions regarding their sexual life and health.

Elvis: Sex Education refers to knowledge aimed at making young children aware of details concerning sex and sexuality so as to help them make sound decisions/choices on matters sex related.

2. Have you had sex education, if yes, how has it affected your approach to sex related topics?

Naza: Yes I have, it has made me see sex as something that’s not such a sacred or scary thing. It has made me see it as normal and something two or more consenting adults can have because they want to.

Elvis: I have had sex education, most of my sex education was self given I had to search for it myself. My parents, specifically my mom gave me the basics. and yes it affected my approach positively.

Bukola: I don’t think I have had sex education before, it was more of my mum telling me things and me listening. I still cringe at some sex related topics but I can always input my answers if I have to.

Nneka: Yes, I’ve had sex education. When discussing about sexual related topics I approach with caution. Why?, because I am sexually educated doesn’t mean that everyone is, plus I also dont want to be saying rubbish🤣, as I’m discussing about it I have to be open to more ideas about sex and other stuff because hey!, we learn everyday; and I also have to be able to teach others what I know about the topic.

3. What is the appropriate age to introduce sex education?

Naza: From 13

Bukola: I feel the appropriate age to introduce sex education is from 5 years old, because the earlier the better.

Nneka: I feel sex education should be taught at age 11 or 12, once they hit puberty. Start with the basics don’t say too much, (we dont want to scare them😂) then as they grow older you widen their knowledge gradually.

Elvis: I believe its best to introduce it to CHILDREN. The moment your child can identify his or her body parts that’s the best time to reach the child.

4. Why do you think the Nigerian curriculum doesn’t deem sex education important?

Nneka: They fear that the discussions will be perceived as endorsing or refuting specific religious and cultural values. But if I’m being honest, it’s mostly because they don’t want trouble from their parents.(Nigerian parents and their wahala😂)

Bukola: Nigerian curriculum see it as a bad thing because they feel that “what should a 10 year old know about sex?”, not knowing that a 10 year old is growing and would need explanations about their body changing.

Naza: Because we have some illiterates as leaders and as elders, also sex is seen as this abomination in our culture so to talk about it to kids would be like you’re trying to force them to have sex at an early age when you’re just educating them.

5. Where do you think the sense of paranoia our parents feel towards sex education stems from?

Nneka: A parents’ fear is not raising their kid the right way. Let’s face it, no one would want their kid to get pregnant or impregnate someone at an early age so what most parents would rather do is to inflict fear on their kids saying; sex is bad or if you have sex you’ll get pregnant, Instead of just educating them about sex, kilo feel?

Bukola: I think it stems from their own parents because their own parents shielded them and it has been passed down from generation to generation.

Elvis: This is so sad…. it stems up from the believe that once children get sex education… they know too much there by making them prone to promiscuity I’ve heard people say this🤦🏽‍♂️

Naza: Honestly I think it’s because they know they weren’t having safe and responsible sex.

6. Would you say the reasons teens feel withdrawn from their parents while growing up is as an absence of these sort of discussions?

Bukola: Mostly, yeah, because they already picture their parents reaction to topics like this and it is not always the best so they don’t bother talking to their parents about it

Nneka: Not exactly, most kids feel withdrawn from their parents because of how busy parents are; you know trying to make ends meet or how parents react to some certain things. Therefore inflicting fear in them that okay o, I can’t be discussing some certain things with mummy or Daddy.

Naza: Parents don’t have good relationships with their kids in the first place so talking about sex wouldn’t be comfortable for both parties.

Elvis: Well it’s not entirely it. but it’s one of the reasons.. bad parenting is a lot more than just not giving sex education.

7. People say the reason why most young adults abroad have increased rates of abortions is because of exposure to sex education at a young age. Do you believe so?

Naza: No, I don’t cause firstly, the reason someone has an abortion isn’t anyone’s business except the woman having one(I just had to put this out there) secondly, I feel Americans are just more open about it unlike Nigerians cause Nigerians get a lot of abortions but we just don’t talk about them.

Bukola: I don’t believe so. Even if there is sex education, if a child wants to have sex, they will, nothing will stop them. Abroad, I feel it is the pressure, mostly peer pressure that does it.

Elvis: I’m not concerned about high rates of abortions ….it would have been an issue if it was high rate of teenage abortions…I don’t think SEX educated ones desire to abort a baby.

Nneka: Honestly, I don’t believe so because sex education teaches like everything; from abstinence to safe sex, contraception and so on. If you follow everything I doubt all these unwanted pregnancies will be that much, abortions and all.

THE TAG

1. If you were to be the president of Nigeria, what are the things you will change or introduce?

Naza: Ah firstly serious jail terms for rapists and sex offenders and ensure there’s a working database to identify them and inform whoever wants to have any business with them. Secondly this system of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer will have to stop cause the rich need to be taxed accordingly. Free healthcare and education

Bukola: If I were the president of Nigeria, I will do something about the #endsars because it is not over and I will also do something about sexual predators.

Nneka: Okay first of all, if I was to be the president of Nigeria; I can’t just decide to change things immediately. You can’t really be a good leader if you don’t listen to your followers. What I would do is to like listen to the people’s needs and wants. From there I’ll be able to know what to change & introduce for the benefit of everyone.

Elvis: I would put sex education into the Nigerian curriculum compulsory from pry1-Ss3. there’s a lot to actually learn….ranging from consent to pedophilia to a whole lott…because I’ll tell you from little twitter banter I’ve seen… nigerians dont know Jack!! lmfaooo…I’ll make back massages free!!!..lagos is stressful😭

2. An unforgettable funny experience you’ve had?

Naza: Recently my cousins and my family went for a crossover party so everyone was drinking now normal stuff then my younger cousin joined in the drinking when she wasn’t supposed to then she started screaming “Yes lord I believe!!!!” 😂😭😭Then as someone was helping her walk she decided it was time to fall and literally tumbled with the guy 😂😂😂😂 and till now our parents never found out.

Bukola: Well, a funny experience that I had was when I attended my freshers party, one of my friends told me she found a boy cute and I decided to be an intermediary. Thinking about it now, I don’t even know what I was thinking, but it is funny because she and the guy didn’t even talk and were just staring at me.

Nneka: Honestly, I haven’t really had an unforgettable funny experience but every time I’m out my squad it’s always funny, coz we end up getting drunk or high as fuck!😂 too bad we wont be able to remember all of it.

Elvis: can’t think of anyone right now oh😂.

3. Would you rather go about your normal day naked or sleep for a year?

Naza: I’ll sleep for a year cause I need the rest abeg and when you’re asleep there’s no stress.

Bukola: I think I will sleep for a year. Gist go plenty when I wake up, lol.

Nneka: Sleep for a year abeg, when you’re sleeping, you’re at peace. You have nothing to worry about fam.

Elvis: I’d rather go about daily activities naked oh…I’m a sexy boy…the world‘s going to see this bawdyyyy😂😂

And that’s a wrap!

I feel like we’re going to have a part 2 for this post cause I remembered some mad topics we could’ve touched but it was after the guests had already sent in their answers, sadly and I don’t like to stress people cause I don’t like to be stressed but fear not! We shall have a part 2! Later on…in life.

Anyways, that’s it for today’s post! Hope you guys enjoyed that. Tried to bring some humor into the post but to be honest, I can’t get the elephant out of the room because truth be told, Nigerian schools doesn’t take sex education as something important and it’s disappointing! Because a lot of young kids are exposed to so much information, so much materials especially on the internet so it’s important that they’re guided but nooo they think that, once you teach them about sex, it means you’re encouraging them to have sex.

With or without the school teaching them, the world is already exposing children to knowledge about sex either from movies, songs, social media, personal curiosity so it’s better to have taught them beforehand so they don’t get misguided by so much information.

That’s it for today, guys! I hope you have an AMAZING week ahead and all you want to be, will be.

If you’re interested in following or knowing our guests, their social media handles are right down below. I’d love to know what you guys thought about today’s post and also your view on sex education, down in the comment section below. Thank you so much guys.

Naza: Twitter: @chinazaar
Instagram: @chinazaar
Snapchat: rinazzze

Bukola: IG- @rinsolaa_a
Twitter- @rinsolaaa
Sc- @adebukol_27

Nneka: Sc- bab.rah
IG- Bab_rah(not active here)
Twitter- babrah__

Elvis: Twitter: _elvischristian Ig: Elvischristian_

Me!: Ig: ibu_kunnnn, _itsib, Twitter: ibu_kunnn, Snapchat: adepoju_ib