The list of record-breaking events in Nigeria this year is long indeed. Of course, still fresh in the minds of Nigerians is the Nokia-sponsored Silverbird Danceathon competition in which a Nigerian team broke the world record of a dance marathon which stood at 52 hours 3 minutes in 2003 with a record time of 55 hours and 47 minutes in the United States (US).

Again, history is being made with the brush of a two-and-a-half-year-old Onarieta Remet Aminisisi as she paints herself into recognition as Nigeria’s youngest exhibiting artist. The young artist opens a weeklong maiden exhibition of her works and those of her parents from Saturday, December 2 at the Nigerian Cultural Centre, Terra Kulture on Tiamiyu Salvage Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The kid-artist, who painted her first professional work at 18months old, is also the grand daughter of Pa Ben Odiase, the composer of the Nigerian national anthem. The elder statesman is expected as chief host on the opening day.

Parents of the phenomena young artist, Pius and Lilian Remet Aminisisi, who are also artists said they started noticing the flair in their child when she was still a toddler. “We noticed that she is unusually attentive whenever we work on the canvas and she can remain in a position for hours, her childish mind was absorbing the art”, they revealed, adding “she began to fiddle with painting brush when she was 14months old but she really got us startled at 18months when she painted a work which reflected the basic principles of painting like balance, colour and tones”.

Asked about the amount of supervision being given to the child when she paints, father of the child, Pius, responded that little or no supervision is given to the child whenever she paints but that “we should not forget that she is still a child and sometimes we need to be around her”.

Surprisingly, the child who was born on April 30, 2004 is yet to begin preparatory school, this, according to the parents, is deliberate, “we want her to be three years old before she starts school because we believe that the early age of a child is a time to foster relationship and give her attention and not a time to over labour her brain. The love and attention being shown to the child helps her to bring out the best in her. People put children in school these days at an early age not because they want them to go to work”.

Pius said further “We keep saying children are the future and they are being neglected. If we must secure the future of our nation, then we must begin to pay greater attention to the children. Government too should institute legislations that will make employers of labour give parents including pregnant women and nursing mothers ample time to devote more time to their families. Our people have been cut away from their families and enslaved by employers”.

On the purpose of the exhibition, the parents said, “our message is to draw the attention of parents to the welfare and comfort of their children in order to enable them discover their potentialities. This will enhance the quality of the future of our nation”.

In addition, the parents said they want to use the exhibition to correct the apathy against the girl child. Their words: “Every child is a gift from God but the attitude of people towards female children has frustrated a lot of human resources. The person who will liberate Nigeria will have an uncommon propensity to give women more attention and equal chances.

Pius and Lilian Remet Aminisisi runs Heart2 Treasures arts gallery. Pius’ initial education background of Urban and Regional Planning at Yaba College of Technology notwithstanding, he attributes his knowledge of the art of painting to the help of his wife, Lilian, and some personal development. Lilian herself studied Painting from the same institution.