Eugenia Abu: Teaching kids kindness

During the workshop tagged The Adventure and Charity Edition, Abu, the prize-winning author of In the Blink of an Eye that won the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA)/NDDC Flora Nwapa Prize for Women Writing 2008, engaged members of her TTW in different literary and skills acquisition exercises for six days. At the mentoring sessions, participants […]

During the workshop tagged The Adventure and Charity Edition, Abu, the prize-winning author of In the Blink of an Eye that won the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA)/NDDC Flora Nwapa Prize for Women Writing 2008, engaged members of her TTW in different literary and skills acquisition exercises for six days.

At the mentoring sessions, participants interacted with mentors who taught them how to become what they want each day. The publisher of Street Hawkers magazine, Toyin Oke, taught the children how to produce and publish a magazine while the Public Relations Officer, Association of Nigerian Authors (North), Alkasim Abdulkadir, gave them ideas on how to become journalists and columnists.

The children equally had fun painting with Kingsley Aduaka, the Vice President of Silverbird Designs. The younger brother of France based filmmaker; Newton Aduaka also came from Cross River State to interact with the children.

 Others who shared useful experiences with the children include the radio presenter, Alice Akale; the slam master of the Abuja Literary Society, Ken Ike Okere; and the author of Daydreams Etcetera and Other Stories, Elnathan John.

Among  the places of interest the kids  visited are the Silverbird Cinema in Abuja where they watched a film and were shown round the facilities; the Motherless Babies’ Home at Gishiri where they interacted and presented gifts to the less privileged children; the Abuja Film Village where they had an interaction session with the Director-General, Segun Oyekunle, on filmmaking and related issues; the Area 10 Post Office in Abuja in company of the Postmaster-General of the Nigerian Postal Service, Ibrahim Mori Baba .

The participants also visited the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, the Katampe Hill on the Kubwa/Kaduna Express way in Abuja, as well as the Aso Radio Station where they climbed the mountain during their excursion to the hill.

Of what importance is all this? The veteran newscaster was quoted as justifying: “The essence of this is to teach them kindness. Earlier on, we had the leadership session where they were given leadership tips. To be a good leader, you need a kind heart. So, we thought there is a need for them to know that there are some people who, by no design of theirs, are less privileged”.