Awake, Nigeria: What Children’s Day Really Means

By Joy Ehonwa

“Children are the future.” “Children are the leaders of tomorrow.” For as long as most of us can remember, phrases like these have been thrown around. Yet, as the years go by, the lot of the Nigerian child does not seem to be improving; if anything, his future appears increasingly bleaker. Nearly a century ago, at a time when child labour was rife, and children worked long hours in dangerous circumstances, often with no access to education, the World Conference for the Wellbeing of Children intervened. In 1925, the conference first proclaimed Children’s Day for the protection of all such children. In 1954, it was established universally, as the United Nations General Assembly advocated for the establishment of Children’s Day on an appropriate day in each country. Nigeria chose May 27th, and so on this day every year, Children’s Day is celebrated, and a public holiday (for primary and secondary school children) declared to mark the day. But have we strayed from the original vision behind the establishment of Children’s Day? Children’s Day was meant to be a day dedicated to raising awareness on children’s rights and wellbeing globally, and this is what Nigeria ought to focus on. In Lagos State, the Child Development Department of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) is responsible for creating and maintaining an environment conducive to the healthy growth and development of the child. This is done through three inter-related programmes- Child Survival, Child Development, and Child Protection. WAPA also takes advantage of the fitting opportunity presented by Children’s Day, to bring children in Lagos together and foster love and harmony amongst them. As part of its celebration of Children’s Day on the 27th of May every year, children are encouraged to express their views on issues affecting their rights. The Ministry also presents the children with gift items and souvenirs. Furthermore, the strong belief of the Ministry in children’s right to participate in decision making processes resulted in the inauguration of the State Children Parliament. Even more noteworthy, however, is the Child Rights Law of Lagos State, which came into effect in 2007, designed to eradicate all forms of abuse on children in the State. The implementation of this law has since then been taken very seriously by WAPA, and a simplified version of the Child Rights Law, accompanied by handbills explaining it, have been produced and distributed to students of public schools in Lagos State. The ongoing campaign against child abuse has also been intensified with emphasis on street hawking by children of school age through the introduction of the “yellow card” which serves as a warning to erring parents, as well as the red card. The child with disability is not left out. The Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, is also catering to the needs of physically challenged children through the establishment of a Multi Purpose Home at Ketu, Mile 12. The home has facilities such as Speech and Language Therapy Clinic, Audiology Clinic, Physiotherapy Clinic and a General Clinic, all fitted with modern equipment. It also features Dormitories, Recreation Centre, Kitchen and Dining Rooms, a Generator, Solar Powered Electricity, and a Multi Purpose Hall, all provided with a view to ensuring that children have equal opportunity in the state. Other Nigerian state governments will do well to borrow a leaf from the Lagos State government. It is great to give children a holiday on Children’s Day, to keep them under the scorching sun, doing military parades and salutes. It is cute that a kid gets to be governor for one day. The parties are wonderful, the treats are welcome; but most importantly, the plight of children in the society should be our primary concern. Our efforts are better geared towards bettering their lot in meaningful and lasting ways, and making sure that they are still smiling come May 28th.