•Cultural display to mark the 2008 Children Day celebration at the Police College parade ground in Ikeja, Lagos Photos: FESTUS ODOFIN

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Nigerian children joined their counterparts the world over to mark the 2008 children’s day with promises of a bright future.
There were activities by groups, religious organizations and corporate bodies, across the federation to mark the day.
Some state governments also organized special events for the children.

In Lagos, the children are in for a better deal as the government has promised them a bright future.
Speaking at the Children’s Day parade and rally held at the Police College, GRA, Ikeja Lagos, the Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), said: “We are headed for a new Lagos where children are healthy, where transport is efficient and reliable, where children are safe on the streets in the day and at nights where the schools have become a destination that children want to be part of and where public sports facilities exist to enable them to exert their energies and hone their God-given skills, where children will not be child labourers to support their families, where love, smiles and laughter reign”.

He described the children as “our greatest resource, our greatest endowment because they represent the hope of a better future for the world.
Fashola noted that as future leaders, his government was investing so much in them offering love, education, leadership training and awareness to prepare them for the very important role.
He listed the leadership training programmes to include the Governor for a day programme, the restoration of vacation jobs, the climate change and Green Environment Clubs and Mentoring Programmes.

Fashola asked the children to contribute to the Green Environment Programme by planting a tree or flower in their homes of neighbourhoods and schools, join or establish environmental clubs that would spread the message of cleanliness and greenness.
“A cleaner, greener city will improve the quality of your lives, provide more fresh our and open spaces for leisure and will show you the immediate benefits of what you have learnt in school about global warming and climate change,” he said.

While calling on parents, teachers and others to see child development and welfare as a concern and responsibility for all, he enjoined them to assist in creating awareness on the importance of respecting the rights of children to qualitative life.
Earlier in her welcome address, Deputy Governor, Princess Sarah Sosan had said the event which coincided with the administration’s one year in office, signaled a positive step towards achieving the all-round development of children in line with its resolve to achieve a better and rewarding future for Lagosians.

According to her, the administration is pursuing a reinvigoration and re-engineering of the education sector for child survival and development.
The event featured a march past by pupils and students of public and private schools in Lagos State.
The day was filled with activities for children. At Grace Plaza, Navy Town in Ojo Local Government Area, students from schools within the local government area, gathered for a leadership summit entitled: The Real Leader.

The event, which was organized by Teens Empowerment Initiative a non-governmental organization featured presentations on leadership by various speakers.
In his opening remarks, the Executive Director, Mr. Ayokunle Lawal said: “The greatest threat to the next generation is damaged fathers when a child has no father to show him or her who they are, they are vulnerable to become who the society says they should be.”
One of the speakers, Mrs. Yvonne Ebi of Poise Nigeria, took on leadership from the behavioural perspective. She advised that people should take deliberate decisions on how to behave. She also identified self-branding as an important aspect of leadership.

The students also presented essays on some social vices in the community.
Nigerian Navy Secondary School, Navy Town won the essay competition while Community Grammar School, Ojo and Scottfield International Private School, Festac came second and third, respectively.
In Lekki, over 40 students from different schools in Lagos, celebrated the day at Dowen College, brainstorming with notable writers on the need to develop the reading culture of children.
The event, which was organized by Nigeria LNG Limitied, with the theme: Is wisdom transferable had in attendance authors such as Professor Femi Osofisan, Pa Gabriel Okara, Madam Mabel Segun, Prof Yerima Ahmed, Mr. Emeka Egwuda and Uche Peter Umeze.

Guest of honour, Dr. Mrs. Idubamo Abbiyesuku, in her speech, said that the aim of Children’s Day was to promote awareness of issues relevant to children’s welfare and protection of children’s rights as well as to encourage concern for children in society and provide children with a better growing environment.
“Children represent the hope of the future, and this the environment they grow up in, the education they receive, and their protection from abuse should be issues of concern to us all,” Abbiyesuku stated.
All the resource persons recounted their childhood experiences: some positive, some negative but one factor that stood out was their resolving to acquire knowledge.

Pa Gabrial Okara, who told a story of little sname and little frong, canvassed for selective reading while Dr. Ahmed Yerima who was inspired by the book ‘Eze goes to school,’ urged them to read books that deals with children’s interest.
For Professor Akachi Ezeigbo who said she was taught from childhood to embrace the Western Culture and not patriotism, asked the students to read more of Nigerian books and also make effort to speak their native language.

Madam Mabel Segun brought out the motherhood in her as she involved the students in a folklore-like setting by telling her story which was also interactive.
The story telling native of Prof. Osofisan was noticed as he told a story about the essence of education in the society, spicing it with a song which the students, guests and visitors participated.
Uche Peter Umez encouraged the gathering to spend more time in reading than on GSM and TV even as Emeka Egwuda advised them to be skillful and to read much.
There were performances of dance and drama by Dowen College drama group and music, by Omowunmi and Eric of the West African idol fame.
It was indeed a day to remember.