REVISITING WORLD’S CHILDREN’S DAY 2018



Since 1954 that it was first observed, the Universal Children’s Day in November 20th every year has been dedicated to issues on child development. The 2018 edition of the Day was dedicated to promotion of children education, protection and fulfilment of their God-given potentials. The world decided to go blue in order to symbolically drive the message home in every country. Through the #GoBlue, the United Nations encouraged all and sundry to do three things:
i.                    Celebrate children by wearing blue clothing or accessories and share with the world on social media;
ii.                   Take part in the world’s largest lesson using the School Activity Packs (designed by UN); and
iii.                 Transform their website and social media platforms by turning them blue for the day (adapted from http://www.un.org/en/events/childrenday/)
Apart from the normal news from mainstream media on the significance of the Day, 2018 Universal Children’s Day went like every other without concrete actions from the stakeholders in Nigeria. Undoubtedly, the message of this year was significant for child development in the country. It was a missed opportunity to strategise on getting every child of the 13.2 million out of school children (the Premium Times, 4th October, 2018) in the country back to school. It was a day when all the stakeholders would have brainstormed on what went wrong that 69% of the country’s out of school children are in the Northern Nigeria (the Premium Times, 11th October, 2018). However, every day still offers an ample opportunity for child development in Nigeria.
As part of our mandate at Concern Women International Development Initiative (CWIDI), we therefore, join the UN to state that education is part of the Nigeria’s child rights. We demand for a safe Nigeria where every child can grow and fulfil his/her potential. CWIDI demand a safe North (East) where the vulnerability of children (and women) to violence and death occasioned by the activities of Boko Haram is reduced to nothing. We call on the government and the security agencies to ensure that the war on terrorism is not only won on the pages of newspapers and social media but also that Boko Haram becomes a thing of the past in the country. This is imperative because until every child is in school, safe from harm and can fulfil his/her potential, the future of Nigeria might not be different from it is right now. If the country refuses to prioritise the development of the child, the child would find it difficult to prioritise the development of the country in the nearest future.     
  

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