President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has felicitated with Nigerian children on the occasion of the 2020 Children’s Day.
Lawan noted that the Day was set aside to highlight the realities of children in society with a view to promoting their well-being and happiness now and for the future.
The Senate President said the surest route to a happy and fulfilling future for our children is to provide them quality education and healthcare, and to protect them against all forms of abuse.
Lawan said it was this realisation that led the Federal Government in 1976 to introduce Universal Primary Education, which in 1999 was expanded to the Universal Basic Education, and also to enact the Child Rights Act in 2003.
The Senate President, however, expressed concern that despite all such efforts, Nigeria is still heavily burdened with a high number of out-of-school children, a situation which he said portends a grave danger for the country and is unacceptable.
“I want to use the opportunity of this occasion to assure our children that the National Assembly is fully aware of the challenges that they face and will continue to work to guarantee them and our country a better future.
“I also call on the authorities at the sub-national level who have not done so, to domesticate the Child Rights Act for the sake of the future of our children,” Lawan said.
The Senate President called for collaboration between the Federal and state governments in comprehensively addressing issues relating to the plight of Nigerian children.
On the part of parents, Lawan urged them to dutifully play their own role in providing the immediate needs for their children, for the future peace of the children, parents and the country.