By Our Correspondent
It was an atmosphere filled with pomp and pageantry in Ayede Ogbese in Akure North Local Government area of Ondo State as Ayede Ogbese Women Vanguard celebrated children’s day festival.
The epoch making event which was done to commemorate United Nations 2023 International Children’s Day (Nigeria) was held yesterday, Saturday, 27th May, 2023 at the Royal Ranch, Ayede Ogbese
The programme with the theme “Our Children, Our Heritage, Our Pride!” was organised on the mandate of HRM Oba Ajibola Oluyede, Ise Oluwa II, the Alayede of Ayede Ogbese (under the auspices of HRH Olori Olufunmilayo Oluyede), where over 1,000 children from the town were ably represented
It was also gathered that the programme offer quality free health and wellness checks for all attendees.
Newsline NG learnt that, Ayede Ogbese Women Vanguard was established by HRH Olori Olufunmilayo Oluyede and comprises of industrious female representatives of all communal groups in Ayede Ogbese.
According to the town’s amiable, globally renowned queen, Olori Olufunmilayo Nejo-Oluyede said, “the Vanguards are the dedicated, grassroots leading ladies at the forefront of the town’s novel developments and initiatives -productively leading the way -as they efficiently represent their various groups in the affairs of the women and children of the town.”
In her opening address, Olori Olufunmilayo Nejo-Oluyede urged the federal government to Invest more funds on Primary Education for standard upbringing of the children.
According to her “Children’s Day is a global commemorative date celebrated annually in honor of children, whose date of observance varies by country.
The idea was born from the first” World Conference for the well-being of the children”held in Geneva, Switzerland in August 1925. At that time, several countries of the UN selected days to celebrate children, Nigeria chose today, May 27th, which has now become a national observance”.
“Every May 27th, the government of the day would gather together groups of selected children from exclusive government schools to celebrate and bring to fore issues relating to the rights, health, education and well-being of children nationwide”.
“The notion for this year’s celebration in Nigeria is ‘more money for primary education’. On this theme, in summary, the gnawing predicament remains the fact that in Nigeria, Primary education is officially free and compulsory, 18 million of the country’s children aged between 5 – 14 years are however still not in school”.
“In Ayede/Ogbese, we have no doubt achieved some measure of success in this regard, but there is yet so very much to do in the country as a whole.
"Money answereth all things (Ecclesiastes 10:19). As much as fund is made available by the federal government, the education of our children can be easily improved upon nationwide, ultimately, the greater the prospects for an enhanced society in every sphere”.
“Yet another concerning issue is the fact that not all our children are privy to the government schools policy discourse, the parades, the pomp, the pageantry, the potpourris of activities organized in celebration of May 27th annually. In Ayede.Ogbese, it is trite knowledge that 99% of our schools are privately owned.
The children of these schools are conspicuously excluded from all these festivities but as a race, we have decided to celebrate our own children in Ayede Ogbose and make them feel honored”.
The Director of Ayede/Ogbese Women Vanguard, Mrs. Mercy Ogunmola while speaking with our correspondent thanked God for the huge success of the programme and also appreciated Oba Ajibola Oluyede and his amiable Olori Olufunmilayo for their kind gestures and financial support for the success of the programme and prayed for God’s protection over them in all their endeavours.
Mrs. K.V. Olomolehin, representative of the Ondo State Ministry of Education and Evangelist Mary J. Ogonnoh, a renowned gospel artiste also expressed their satisfactions over the success of the programme and applauded the philanthropic gestures of Oba Ajibola Oluyede and Olori Olufunmilayo Oluyede, stressed that their leadership styles are worthy of emulation.
Newsline NG however gathered that the the event was the second children’s day celebration in the history of the community.
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