As a Nigerian living abroad forgive me, but my heart is heavy, both for our nation and for the Nigerian child!

Children’s day 2021 is but a few hours past, and I wonder what difference the marking of this day has made for the Nigerian child! I pray that as parents it was a memorable day for our children. Please create wonderful memories for them.

The nation is at crossroads right now, may God help us find lasting answers to the political problems that plague our motherland… May “the labours of our heroes past, never be in vain”!

There are many issues plaguing our education sector… Why are a lot of children still leaving for secondary school at 8 or 9 years old? Why are 3 year olds forcred to write or recite ‘States and capitals’ or the multiplication tables?

What about child abuse issues? The flogging, knocking on the head, twisting of the ears, the verbal and sexual abuse of our young ones!

The child marriages that still happen, teenage pregnancies that are still rampant!

Those young ones that were kidnanapped, where are they?

What o what are we doing to get them back home safely?

Let’s not even consider the issue of climate change, the effect of the use of plastic and its current disposal methods, if we can call it that!

Is there any consideration for proper recycling management on a national scale?

O please my child, weep not!

I am so ashamed we could not give you a safe and wonderful childhood.

We have failed you in so many ways, I do apologize.

As we reflect on where we are at, I pray we do more to make our children safe, improve the education sector and ensure that the basic rules of engagement for providing basic standard education is upheld in every public and private institution that deals with and supports our children.

There is so much that we are good at, but there is so much more we are capable of achieving…Reflection is good for the soul.

Let us reflect in our own small corners, and change our world one step at a time.