The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has said it is promoting policies that would protect children’s rights to education and other necessities of life.
This was made known by the mandate secretary, FCTA Women Affairs Secretariat, Dr Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, at the international school quiz organised by African Scholars Care Initiative in collaboration with the FCT Women Affairs secretariat with the theme: Education for all African Children; the time is now.
Benjamins-Laniyi who was represented by the permanent secretary, FCT Women Affairs Secretariat, Alhaji Adetoyi Kolawole, said the administration established the Women Affairs Secretariat to give women and children the recognition they deserve.
According to mandate secretary, the International Day of the African Child which was initiated by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1991 is to celebrate children who took to the streets of Soweto in 1976 to fight for right to better education for black children in South Africa.
She emphasised the importance of children as Africa’s greatest asset because, with the right education and skills, they will contribute to the growth and development of Nigeria and Africa at large.
Benjamins-Laniyi also called on stakeholders to join the government in working for a better world for children, where they will all learn to invest in their education, respect their rights and welfare, and create opportunities for them to thrive.
She called on children in the FCT and throughout Africa to focus on education and skills acquisition to become self-reliant and self-sustaining.
The country director of Nutritional International, Dr Osita Okonkwo, in his paper titled; The Role of Nutrition in Education, said that a healthy mind is a key to the health and well-being of an individual, which includes emotional, psychological and social well-being.
Okonkwo said that everything from learning and memory to attentiveness is affected by the foods people consume and that good nutrition is the bedrock of child development, enabling young minds and bodies to grow and flourish.
The founding partner of the African Scholars Care Initiative, Ms Joy Osomiamhe, said the organisation aims to give the African Children an opportunity to compete globally.
She said this can only be achieved through quality education and nutrition to build a nation and continent that is people-driven.