Children in Katsina State are asking the government to ensure watertight security in their various schools, to enable them to acquire education, to make them better citizens in the future.
This among other requests were put forward by the children to Governor Aminu Masari during activities marking the 2021 Day of the African Child organized by Save the Children International in collaboration with the Katsina State Government.
The Day of the African Child has always been celebrated on June 16 every year. It was initiated in 1991 by the Organisation of African Unity, OAU, now the African Union, A.U.
It was meant to honour those who participated in the Soweto Uprising in 1976 where some were killed, while several others, sustained injuries.
The day is also marked to raise awareness of the continuing need for improvement of the education provided to the African child.
Its theme: 30 years after the adoption of the charter; accelerate the implementation of Agenda 2040 for African children.
In Katsina State, it was marked by some selected school children, including children with special needs, who, one after the other, itemized their aspirations in life, as well as some who made requests to the state government on bettering their lives.
Prominent among the requests was the demand for adequate security in schools, in the wake of the abduction of school children.
Others included an improved learning environment, provision of instructional materials, protection against child abuse, and the stiffer penalty for rape, amongst others.
The Speaker of the Children’s Parliament, Ibrahim Maharazu, called on the state government to implement Agenda 2040, which focuses on child’s rights and welfare concerns, aimed at making the African child a pride of the continent.
Governor Masari, represented by his Special Adviser on Higher Education, Bashir Ruwan-Godiya, assured of the readiness and commitment of the government to look into their plights, even as the government is already on them.
Masari further said necessary laws have been put in place, especially the domestication of the child protection law. Some of the kids thrilled the audience with dance steps to climax the event, as they hoped for a brighter future.