Little children, big dreams
Who says the children are not watching when adults do the sordid things that are the hallmark of many men and women occupying public offices? “If I become president,” a school boy said, “I will empower the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and […]
Who says the children are not watching when adults do the sordid things that are the hallmark of many men and women occupying public offices?
“If I become president,” a school boy said, “I will empower the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and other crime fighting organisations to go after corrupt leaders.”
David Wesley of Unity High School, Abuja, was emphatic that if he becomes president tomorrow, he, armed with all the arsenals available to EFCC and ICPC, will see to it that those who have been diverting his future into their private pockets will deflate the fat pockets so that he can have his future back.
Wesley who participated in a recent children programme stressed that people who currently misapply money meant to make Nigeria a greater place are indeed working against the future of Nigerian children.
Wesley, with several other secondary school students, spoke at a Children’s Summit in Abuja featuring an essay competition with the theme If I am the President of Nigeria in the Next Four Years. The event which was organised by a multimedia consulting firm, Trim Communications Limited, attracted students from selected public and private secondary schools across the Federal Capital Territory.
They are the proverbial future leaders who seized the opportunity offered by the Children’s Summit to express their will for their country.
On the same note of corruption and the need to check it, Uzoh Ogechi who is studying at Junior Secondary School, Jikwoyi, wishes to become president because, in his words, “Nigeria is underdeveloped at 50 because of the corruption of leaders.”
Uzoh said the words of the National Anthem will begin to matter as she would focus on bringing all corrupt leaders to book. She would work on the environment; keep it clean, beautify landscapes by planting and nurturing trees which would also form shade for the comfort of the people. Uzoh also would wish to fix the power sector to improve the social and economic life of the citizens.
Ifeoma Onyenwe, a student of Model Junior Secondary School, Maitama, wants to be the president who will lift Nigeria from depending helplessly on petroleum resources to becoming a world power in agricultural production.
“If I am the president of this great country, I will revive the agricultural sector to boost the feeding condition of the Nigerian citizens and generate funds so that attention can be deviated from the oil sector,” Miss Onyewe said.
Ifeoma enthused that should she become president, she will appoint only knowledgeable and credible people to positions of responsibility. And, sounding like the typical Nigerian woman activist that she may turn out to be, Ifeoma said, “I will create institutions that will fight child abuse and early marriages that often ruin the potentials of the girl child.”
For another female student who attended the Children’s Summit, Uzoh Ogechi of Junior Secondary School, Jikwoyi, health delivery will be the priority. “I will improve the welfare of doctors and nurses,” Uzor said. “I will encourage them to do their jobs properly and make the task of protecting the health of the citizens easy.”
Nana Aisha Audu of Nurul Bayan International College said she would be a president who would be renowned for being on the side of everyone. She elaborated, “I will be a president for all. Compassionate but firm. I will have the poor and the beggar in mind. There will be harmony all around. There will be no religious or tribal disparity.”
The Children’s Summit made speakers of otherwise shy students who impressed it on all adults who graced the event that the children are watching actions of adults and forming their own ideas of better ways to run the country
Expressing satisfaction with the performance of the students on the topic of the Children’s Summit, Chairman of Trim Communications Limited, Chief Tom Adaba, said he had a lot of confidence in the youths of the nation because they are able to hold their own.
“I know that Nigeria has a bright future from what we have seen today,” he stated
On his part, the Executive Chairman of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Board of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Musa Maikasuwa Yakubu, was impressed that students from supposedly badly run government schools were able to hold their heads high against the supposedly better administered private schools. He said, “I am really impressed with what is happening here today. As you can see, the public schools are really out shining against the private schools from their performance here today. It has shown that they have good teachers and it has proved that the government is trying so hard and spending so much for the government schools.”