The Nigerian constitution considers a person less than 18 years as a minor; this means that the person has not attained the legally recognised adult age. It is also emphasised in most banks that anyone less than 18 years cannot run any fully-fledged business account.
What most banks do is to come up with various “products” or accounts that can slightly accommodate minors which is run by their parents or guardians pending when they attain the legally accepted age. Then the account can be upgraded to a business account that the child in question who has become an adult will be running. And this account hand-over is witnessed by the parent or guardian.
Contrary to this, parents either hiding under the guise of selling technology or ignorance send their children to banks to carry out banking transactions on their behalf. In my opinion, this is wrong considering the illegality, shameful and devastating consequences.
What will you tell the law-enforcement agents if this child is caught carrying out transactions with ATM card? How will you feel if hoodlums force this child to mess up your account? What will you tell the world if this child has been convinced to carry out some nasty deals like empting the whole account for some shady-puerile or kid-induced dirty acts arising from peer pressure? It is a dynamic world, either positively dynamic or negatively; only God knows the direction the pendulum can swing. Anything can happen and the so-called trusted child can fall victim.
I think that accepting or embracing technology should be done with the use of our brain.
Chiemela N. Agu
chibagaila@gmail.com
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