Celebrating our future

By Atim Nkese Nkpubre

May 27 is Children’s Day in Nigeria. It is a special day set aside to celebrate and honour our children as well as draw attention to issues affecting them. It is a day to consider who they are and the warmth they bring into our lives. Children’s day is a public day and a fun day off from school.
Today, many children will troop to the stadia in their numbers, dressed smartly in their uniforms and ready to perform the usual ritual of parades, dances and other cultural activities. Others will visit parks and fun spots in their communities. Parents, teachers and operators of children’s facilities usually go the extra mile to spice up the day with fun activities that enhance the skills and talents of our children. Children’s day is a day filled with fun, food and festivities (for the privileged).
However, beyond the rhetoric of beautiful speeches by government officials and statistics reeled out by NGOs on the poor state of the world’s children, now is the time, perhaps, for us to begin to pay serious attention to the issues that affect the progress of the younger generation, in our quest to build a better and stronger Nigeria of our dreams.
Children are God’s gift to mankind. Every child is unique and special. Childhood is about innocence, liveliness, happiness and freedom. We have a responsibility to keep it so. And as we set out to honour these special gifts in our lives, it is imperative for us to teach our children the right values - values of sharing and caring, respecting others and learning from others what they do not know.
A key issue of Children’s Day celebration is allowing our children to have access to learning in all its ramifications. Not just at the formal school setting but more importantly, at home. Our children need to learn the values of love, respect and loyalty to family, friends and country.
We have a responsibility to teach our children to be thankful for what they have: life, love, warmth, family, siblings, quality education, good nutrition, family pet and even the chance to play! This is because many other children live without the things that our children sometimes take for granted. Having an attitude of gratitude is very important in the marathon of life. By so doing, we would be helping our children to become responsible human beings.
 Honouring children begins right from the home and entails devoting quality time to our children, answering, or least attempting to answer their barrage of questions and generally guiding them through the thorny paths of life. Honouring our children implies committed parental upbringing.
Children’s Day should be a holiday of hope. We have a duty to protect our children and their impressionable young minds from the menace of robbery, armed insurgency and suicide bombings and other social ills that are fast happening on us. God save our children!
Our future as a nation depends on our children. Nigeria, like many other nations, is a land of mixed multitudes - the very affluent, the rich and the very poor. After fifty-two years of independence, our children ought to be basking in the glow of constant electricity, at the very least, but what do we have?
Even as many children are celebrating children’s day, there are also several others in the city slums and countryside  who are oblivious of what the day represents, as they spend their youthful energy selling pure water in traffic and hawking other items to supplement their family income. Childhood is a long and lonely road for many of our children.
Children’s Day is recognised on various days in different countries around the world. The day was first proclaimed by the United Nations’ General Assembly in 1954 and established to encourage all countries to institute a day, firstly to promote mutual exchange and understanding among children as well as promote the welfare of the world’s children, whilst also celebrating childhood. The day also brings awareness to children around the globe that have succumbed to violence in forms of abuse, exploitation and discrimination.
Today, let’s join in the fun and do something special for the small people in our lives.  Let’s take time to stop and honour our children with love, kindness, words of encouragement, a gift. It doesn’t have to be an expensive treat. Your gift could be as simple as a smile!
So let’s join hands to keep the smiles on the faces of our little wonders. For that’s what our children are. Even in our busy lives of striving to make ends meet, let’s inspire hope in our children. By honouring the younger generation, our children are encouraged to contribute as valued members of society in shaping their own future.
 In spite of our many challenges, I believe the future is bright for the Nigerian child.  Happy Children’s Day to all Nigerian children.