commitment to ensuring the well-being of
every Akwa Ibom child through formal
education.
He stated this yesterday during a low-key
Children’s Day celebration at the Uyo
Township Stadium. He said: “We congratulate
and celebrate with our children today and to
let you all know that we love
you and we are
ensuring the protection of your future by
improving facilities in schools and in the
health sector.
“We would continue to provide textbooks, pay
fees for the registration of NECO, WAEC and
SSCE examinations. We would also provide
equipment for laboratories in higher schools
and increase the number of boarding schools
in our state, among others. And I believe that
you all would be a pride to the nation.”
He advised the children to be disciplined,
studious urging them to know that they were
not going to school for their parents but for
themselves in view of the fact that the
greatest thing a child can get from his or her
parents was education.
Governor Akpabio was later presented with
the, ‘Most child friendly governor’ award by
Akwa Ibom children.
In an address to the occasion and read by
Governor Akpabio, President Goodluck
Jonathan congratulated all Nigerian children,
stressing that the Nigerian child is precious
and angelic,which every Nigerian child is the
first priority of his administration.
Jonathan who paid tribute to the Chibok girls
who were abducted by the Boko Haram
group, sympathized with the parents of the
Chibok girls, pledging that the Federal
Government would protect them from
violence and bring this insurgency to an end.
The President condoled with Nigerians who
lost their families to Boko Haram attacks,
stressing that the act was a heart rending
moment for him and the entire nation, which
he said that Federal Government has put in
adequate machinery for a secure
environment and would not rest till the girls
are found.
He then called on Nigerians to unite for peace
and for the children, calling on all security
agencies and Nigerians to work together to
ensure security in the society, disclosing that
terrorism attacks are now targeted to
schools thereby trying to thwart the plans of
the future leaders and disclosed that the
Federal Government has recently
inaugurated a national joint task force for the
prevention and fight against sexual abuse on
children.
President Jonathan called on parents not to
be discouraged or deterred by the Boko
Haram insurgency but endeavor to send their
girl-child to school for a sustainable future,
calling on all Nigerians to embrace the culture
of peace, patriotism and to see themselves
as one Nigeria without ethnic sentiments.
Also speaking, the state Commissioner for
Women Affairs, Mrs. Glory Edet, stated that
children represent the future of the country
and that the children of the state have
benefitted from many friendly policies of
Governor Akpabio administration.
Edet, who said that it was disheartening to
note that most children are abused by adults
who are supposed to protect them, lauded
the Governor’s wise decision and that of the
Akwa Ibom House of Assembly for
domesticating the Child Rights Act, calling on
all Nigerians to contribute their quota to the
advancement of the children’s rights and the
protection of the Nigerian child.
The Speaker of Akwa Ibom State Children’s
Parliament, Miss Roshah Anietie Idok, said
the entire children of the state would have
been happier if the Chibok girls were
released, but prayed that God would facilitate
their release.
She also thanked the State Governor for the
free and compulsory education, health care
and the Child Rights law and also thanked the
Governor’s wife, Unoma for the care given to
all Akwa Ibom news source sun.
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