Children’s Day: Lawyers Must Advocate, Promote and Demand More Government Action on Child Rights – Okey Ohagba
As Nigeria marks the 2020 Children’s Day , we are again called as parents/guardians to celebrate our children/wards and be more responsible and responsive in the art of parenting. We are reminded that Children are the future we see today. We hold the future in trust for our children/wards; therefore, we must always strive to bequeath a greater future to them.
As parents, whether biological or in loco parentis, especially as lawyers, we are called on Children’s day to advocate more, promote more and demand more government action on Child Rights. We must demand total domestication of the Child Rights Act and it’s enforcement across all Nigerian States. The greatness of our nation tomorrow, lies with the greatness of today’s children. We must impress on the government to take more responsibility in the welfare of today’s Nigerian child by providing the necessary infrastructure for maternal and child health care, basic education, housing and other basic amenities.
When I say, ‘children are the future we see’ I mean we must strive now, remoulding the children to think correctly, to judge rightly, and to have the heroism to live up to those convictions. To make the future brighter, we must guide our children to think, not in this failing pattern, that have kept our Nation where we are today, but in a new pattern with a new inspiration, new orientation and new vision.
Finally, while we celebrate our children today, I urge us to re-evaluate our parent-child relationships and make amends where necessary. We do this, having in mind that vagabonds do not grow from the soil and neither do terrorists fall from the sky. In most cases, they are the unintended products of irresponsible parenting and failed governance.
Happy Children’s Day ! to all Nigerian Children
Okey Leo Ohagba
Past NBA 1st Asst. General Secretary
