Children in the Bwari Area Council, FCT, on Monday, called on government at all levels to improve access to social amenities and infrastructure for the development of the community.
Some of the children, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that it was paramount for the country’s leaders to remember the immediate needs of the Nigerian child.
The appealed to the government to consider making policies that would make life easier for not only parents, but also children.
According to Daniel Adewale, a primary school pupil, it is paramount for the country’s leaders to remember the immediate needs of the Nigerian child.
”Here in the rural communities, some of us still lacked some basic amenities.
”The government should remember that children need good hospitals and safe places to play. Sometimes, when we are sick, our parents find it difficult to access healthcare services.
”I am also appealing to the government to subsidise the cost of healthcare services in the country.”
Similarly, Fedora Lawal, another child in the community, urged government to improve on power supply and also make available a public reading facility.
According to him, here in Bwari town, we don’t have a recreational park suitable for children to celebrate on public holidays like children’s day.
”We also need a public library where we can go and register and read at our leisure. It is important for growing children.
”I also want them to improve on constant power supply in this area.”
In the same vein, Gift Oche, another child in the area appealed to the government to consider making policies that would make life easier for not only parents, but children as well.
She called for improved healthcare facilities, school rehabilitation and reconstruction, access to water supply and lowered cost of foodstuff to sustain the livelihood of the citizens.
Oche also added that government should help more children go to school by assisting parents that were not buoyant in sending their children to school.
Meanwhile, Mr Emeka Nwachukwu, a parent and a teacher, has called for deliberate investment on children’s welfare, adding that the health and education of a child was paramount and should not be taken for granted.
Nwachukwu noted that it was important to recognise the potential of each Nigerian child and work towards creating and giving that child, an opportunity to develop.
This, he said would make them grow to become an icon in the society that could impact on the nation and the world at large.
“The truth is that children are not asking for too much, they want to be safe, learn, and healthy.
”When we celebrate special days for children, the government should focus on better infrastructure, wage and training for teachers and good health services for our children.
”We need to keep them off the streets, away from every form of societal ills, protect them at all costs and ensure that they have access to quality services at all levels of life,” he said. (NAN)
