Children’s Day beyond mere celebration

Children are the assets of any nation, the future of a country and the hope of its tomorrow. A nation prospers and progresses if it is able to develop the hidden potential lying untapped in its children.

In Nigeria, children make up a good percentage of the population as, according to the World Health Organization, there are 100,000 live births against 814 deaths, hence the need to give much attention to their all-round development and a day like Children’s Day is a step forward toward this direction.

The genesis of children’s Day dates back to Geneva in 1925; 54 representatives from different countries gathered together in Geneva, Switzerland to convene the world conference for the wellbeing of children, during which “Geneva Declaration protecting children” was passed.

The proclamation made a strong appeal for the spiritual needs of children, relief for children in poverty, prevention of child labor, reassessing the way that children are educated and the other issues related to the welfare of children around the world.

May 27 is dedicated and set aside to celebrate children. It is usually a work-free day for the primary and secondary school children traditionally decked out in their uniforms for competitive march past in open fields or stadium with top government officials on ground to acknowledge their salute as well as provide a platform for interactions and understanding among them.

The day teaches several important values. It is a call to protect little ones from all harm and save them from the negative impact of industrialization, digitalization, industrialization, commercialization and gross materialism at large.

Today, many children are exposed to the anomalies of the society and the negative side of the internet such as blind dates, pornography sites, Instagram, Facebook to mention but a few. Also, they are to the evils of drug, alcohol, hard labour, early marriage abuse, and violence among others.

It is quite disheartening that Nigeria remains one of the countries with the highest number of school dropouts roaming the streets. In some parts of the country, they have taken alms to be a profession while they ought to be in school or learning a particular trade. In the South-East and South-South, they are mostly found on the streets hawking usually a variety of petty items.

It is instructive to note that children have come under additional pressures as a result of upsurge in violence, especially the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East, which has claimed and uprooted millions of people from their homes.

Another red flag is the massive killings by the Fulani herdsmen which needs to be addressed urgently, as thousands of children have become orphans and many expelled from their homes.

Adeosun Damilola

Ogun state