A consultant to the United Nations
Children’s Fund, Mr. Taiwo Akinlami, has expressed worry over the way
the rights of Nigerian children are being violated.
Akinlami spoke as a guest lecturer in
Lagos on Tuesday during the career talk and graduation ceremony
organised by Afariogun Primary School, Oshodi, Lagos.
Lamenting the plight of Nigerian
children, Akinlami noted that governments at all levels owe the debt of
seeing to the protection of the rights of innocent children.
“According to Section 277, a child is
anyone below the age of 18. Children are entitled to four rights, which
include survival, development, protection and participation.
“The survival right entitles a child to
life, good health, balanced nutrition and related matters as vested in
Sections 12 and 13.
“The protection rights prevent the child
from child labour, trafficking, ritual killing, sexual, physical,
emotional abuses and neglect.”
Also, the school’s Head Teacher, Mrs. Florence Falana, lauded the giant strides recorded by the school.
“Ninety-nine per cent of our primary six
pupils performed excellently well in their placement test into
secondary schools for the next academic session.
“We were one of the three schools that
represented Local Education District 6 (comprising Mushin, Oshodi and
Ikeja areas) in the just-concluded debate competition among primary
schools category in Lagos State.”
The headmistress, however, admitted that
the school was still in need of basic infrastructure, including
furniture and classrooms.
She called on the State Governor, Mr.
Babatunde Fashola (SAN), to do something urgent about the plight of the
children “because hoodlums come around to destroy the available few
resources.”
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