A children’s day without cheer, funfare

• Osinbajo’s wife marks day with virtual book reading

Children yesterday marked an unusual May 27, without fanfare, games, exhibitions or outings, a phenomenon occasioned by the global pandemic signaling the new norm.
The day celebrated worldwide as Children’s Day is marked to fete and extol the virtues of children and childhood.

Despite the restrictions on their activities, which have forced a prolonged holiday with no end in sight for kids across the country, the day still went without an activity celebrating children.

In Lagos, The Destiny Trust hosted the wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo, in a virtual story reading to some children to mark the day. Mrs. Osinbajo sang and read story to Nigerian children in a surprise story reading session.

She read chapters from the book, Dalu’s Diary by Ogechi Ezeji. Mrs. Osinbajo puts a spotlight on the fiction’s themes of honesty, diligence, adventure and family love while taking the children on a virtual tour of Nigeria’s beautiful places and celebrating her culture and people.

The story reading was followed by personal interaction with the children she called by name; making every child feel really special. Children asked her a range of questions from her childhood experience, becoming a successful woman to life as the wife of the Vice-President of Nigeria.

According to her, supporting Nigeria’s number two citizen comes with great responsibility apart from the privileges. She challenged children to embrace the future because they hold limitless possibilities. 

The Story Reading closed with an emotive rendition of Timi Dakolo’s Great Nation and the National Anthem. The Destiny Trust educates, empowers and cares for homeless children and young people in disadvantaged groups. Rehabilitated street children are provided shelter, daily feeding, education and equipped with skills in computer programming and other vocational fields. The Trust also operates community-based education and care interventions for homeless children.

Also in celebration of the day, Prof. Oluwatoyin Jegede, a mother and lecturer at the Department of English, University of Ibadan, has said the importance of celebrating children cannot be quantified. According to her, making children to live up to expectation and fulfill their dreams and aspiration is not only premised on good education, but on proper mentoring and role modeling.

She added that the government should be able to provide good education for children with every necessary infrastructure as the future leaders of tomorrow. She called on the government to invest highly on children’s education, which is the only way to promote the country as well as preparing the children for their vital roles in the nation tomorrow.