Children’s Day this year was never the same for the children of Ijebu Ife Local Government in Ogun State as a non-government organisation, Live Abundantly Empowerment Initiative connected with the children in a most exciting way to make the day a memorable one for the youngsters.
The celebrations which held at the Ajalorun Palace in Ijebu Ife saw the Deputy Governor of the state, government agencies, captains of industry, traditional rulers, religious leaders, parents, teachers and residents of the community all gathered to felicitate with the children drawn from both private and public primary and secondary schools within the local government.
The August occasion featured several interesting packages ranging from drama presentation, ventriloquy performance, spoken words, health talks, amongst others, making the event scenic for the kids.
In her key note address, the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga, commended the organisation for complementing government’s efforts at developing children. Stressing the link between the agenda of the Ngo and the priority of the state which is quality education, Onanuga stated that education was the first of the state’s five cardinal projects hence, the state had remained committed to formulating policies that would uphold education for all.
She added: “As much as I know that children are important to the society, we will not cease to play our role in lifting them but I will urge them to remain focused and diligent especially in their studies. As we all know that we are in an era of technology, I would implore you all to be wary of the dark sides of technology; rather, employ the platform to add value and improve yourselves.â€
Also speaking, the Ajalorun of Ijebu Ife, HRH Oba A.A Oguntayo expressed gratitude to the organisation for bringing such initiative to the community, affirming that such was happening for the first time and therefore urged well-meaning Nigerians and corporate bodies to see to the development of rural areas through similar initiatives.
In her speech titled, ‘Stew of Life’, the founder of the organisation, Dr.Ama Onyerinma, pointed out that the stew of life required rich ingredients like the edible stew.
Identifying some of the ingredients of stew as tomatoes, pepper, salt, onions, oil, chicken, meat and fish, spices, fire and pot, she said that all the ingredients must be applied moderately to get a sumptuous and nutritional meal.
“The same thing applies to life. To enjoy the flavour of life, we must all strive to live a balanced life such that we can be physically, emotionally, mentally and socially balanced,†she said.
Onyerinma added that children must not be denied the flavour of life, hence all hands must be on deck to ensure that their rights were guaranteed. Every child has the right to be protected, educated, access good health care, shelter and nutrition.
She further stated that it was important for children to be well informed most especially on their rights which was part of what the organisation sought to achieve by organising the programme.
The founder, who was elated by the turn out and feedback from the children, also enjoined them to learn beyond the classroom and apply whatever they were learning to their daily life. She also encouraged them to stand up for their rights in any situation they find themselves.
