As Children’s Day
was celebrated in Nigeria on Sunday,
Delta State Governor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa has called on parents to devote
greater time to their children.
According to the
Governor, “parents and caregivers, should devote greater time, and attention to
the children, we must not leave the upbringing and character formation of our
children to teachers alone; we should take greater responsibility for the sake of
their protection, wellbeing and the orderliness of society at large.”
Governor Okowa at
the celebration which featured march past, cultural dance, modelling, among
others in Asaba lauded the theme for this year’s celebration, ‘Creating Safe
Spaces for Children: Our Collective Responsibility,’ stated, “this
administration has placed a high premium on the total development and
protection of children on which the continuous existence and progress of the
State and nation depend.”
“This year’s
theme is meant to sensitize government, stakeholders and other duty bearers on
the crucial need to strategize on ways of creating a protective, violence free
and safe spaces for every child in Delta State,” the Governor said, adding, “we
start the care of the child from when it has not been born through the free
maternal care and free medicare from the earliest stage till the child is five
years; we do this conscious that it is the most sensitive period of a child’s
life.”
He continued,
“this administration through our SMART agenda, has taken various actions aimed
at improving the welfare and security of our future generation, we do not want
to give them fish, we are teaching them how to fish through the acquisition of
skills with the aim of making them entrepreneurs and the results are beginning
to bear fruit.“
The Governor who
decried the level of abuses against children “ranging from rape, defilement,
sexual exploitation, cultism, child trafficking, child labour, to mention a
few,” asserted, “the situation calls for more concerted efforts of all and
sundry to take proactive measures and increase the consciousness of providing
safe and very secure spaces for our children to grow up in the midst of genuine
and selfless love, care and attention.”
He emphasised, “I
wish to appeal to all duty bearers to actively promote the ideals of the Childs
Rights Law, bearing in mind that we are accountable to God on how we discharge
our obligations to our children, knowing very well that our future as a State
and nation, will be defined by the quality of today’s children.”
High point of the
celebration was the feeding of the children by members of the 05 Initiative led
by Dame Edith Okowa.
Earlier in a
church service, guest preacher, Master Chibuzor Promise urged parents to create
safe spaces for their children, bring them up in the way of the Lord so as they
can make good choices in life.
Speaker of the
Delta State House of Assembly, Rt, Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, members of the
National Assembly, among other political office holders and cross section of
the society attended the event.
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