CHILDREN’S DAY: Okowa decries abuses, urges parents to pay more attention to children

DELTA State Governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa has decried various abuses meted out on children, calling on parents to devote greater time to them.

Governor Okowa at the celebration in Asaba on Sunday lauded the theme for this year’s Children’s Day celebration: “Creating Safe Spaces for Children: Our Collective Responsibility.”

The event featured march pasts, cultural dances and modelling, among others.

Reiterating his call, Okowa said: “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.

“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.”

The governor averred that: “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.”

“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 consciously that it is the most sensitive period of a child’s life.

“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,” he enthused.

The governor has, however, decried the level of abuses against children ranging from rape, defilement, sexual exploitation, cultism, child trafficking, child labour, to mention a few.

He asserted that “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.”

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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.”

The high point of the celebration was the feeding of the children by members of the 05 Initiative led by Dame Edith Okowa.

Dignitaries at the event included Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt, Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, members of the National Assembly, other political office holders and a cross-section of the society.