A cross section of pupils and students in Enugu have appealed to the incoming administration to, as a matter of urgency, tackle insecurity in schools and in the country at large.
The Children made the appeal in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Enugu as part of activities to commemorate the 2023 Children’s Day celebrations.
They charged the incoming administration to do more in protecting children as they are the future generation.
Master Nonso Olisa, a junior student of Union Boys Secondary School, Enugu, said that the rate of insecurity in the country was alarming, and is being felt in almost every state.
“I appeal to the incoming administration to address the security challenges that the country is facing at the moment so that we will have a better place to live,” Olisa said.
A primary six pupil of Igbariam Primary School, Enugu, Miss Onyekachi Agu, called on the incoming administration to create enabling environment for proper learning, especially for the children, who were still in IDP camps.
According to Agu, many children are still learning in an atmosphere of uncertainty, I urge the incoming administration to urgently bring insecurity to a stand still.
“I want the next government to ensure that all children are in school and protected,” she said.
She emphasised the need to address the burden of out-of-school children in all the states in the country.
The children also sought protection and better society from the incoming administration as they urged the next government to sustain the school feeding programme to enhance learning in schools.
Miss Chioma Nwoko, a pupil of Achara Layout Primary School, said that the school feeding programme had really helped her in paying more attention in her studies, adding that her parents are happy towards it.
Master Lotanna Eze, another pupil from a private school, God’s Care Nursery and Primary Schools, called on the incoming administration to extend the school feeding programm to private schools.
Some parents urged the incoming administration to help in accelerating the implementation of the Child Right Law in the country in order to guarantee proper children protection and care.
Mrs Jecintha Nweke, a retired School Councellor in Enugu, urged the incoming administration to begin to respect and love children by providing all they require to be successful in life.
Another parent, who spoke on condition of anonymity said that children are gifts from God, therefore, they should be treated with care and respect as they remain the future generation of the society.
Speaking to NAN earlier, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Chief of Field Office, Enugu, Mrs Juliet Chiluwe, noted that UNICEF mandate was to assist children everywhere to actualise their right to participation and other rights inherent in the Child Rights Law.
She called on states yet to pass and sign their Child Right Bill into an Act (Law) to expedite action on it to move on with the rest of the World and make the World a better place for children development and safety.
