A child protection and development expert, Mrs Foluke Omoworare, on Wednesday in Lagos advocated for the introduction of Family Life Health Education (FLHE) in schools as part of ways to improve the lives of children.
Omoworare made the call during a two-day training for 37 members of the 6th Lagos State Children’s Parliament, organised by Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC), a British Council and the European Union programme in collaboration with Lagos State Ministry of Youths and Social Development.
She said that if introduced to the school curriculum, particularly in primary and secondary schools, it would change the moral, mental, child’s independent mind, self esteem and intellectual behaviour among others.
The expert said that many adults became victims of child abuse and their rights violated because they were never had family life health education where the issues were thought.
Omoworare said some adults never enjoyed their childhood because of many challenges in family, society, stressing that while they were children, they were carrying out parents responsibilities.
She advised against low self-esteem as it could lead to suicide in children, saying that there was no problem without solution.
“Don’t allow problem of any kind to weigh you down. Don’t kill yourself for any reason. Death is not solution to your problem.
“You are to face the problem squarely. You are the best God created. No one is created like you, therefore, don’t look inferior to others,” she counselled.
Omoworare called on the 6th children’s parliament to use their tenure to work against child labour, noting that such labour had changed the mindset of many children to negative persons.
“It is only child labour that will force a child to join looters in the name of #EndSARS. As children parliamentarian, do your best to make life better for other children who are not privileged like you.
“ As children legislators, you are to look into the challenges facing children and proffer solutions. A child should be a child and not to take adults responsibilities. The parliament should look into child labour,” she said.
Mr Kolapo Adeniran, Head of the Legislative Education at the Lagos State House of Assembly, enjoined the children parliamentarians to do things differently from the negatives currently practiced by some adult legislators.
He urged them to have a rethink and do things the way it ought to be done and not be bad leaders in their positions as parliamentarians.
Speaking with NAN, the House Leader of the children parliament, 19-year-old SS3 student, Master Sule Toluwani, said the two-day plenary was apt as it would help them in life and in carrying out their functions as parliamentarians.
Toluwani called on children in Nigeria to be the best and stop copying negative characters from the social media.
Another member of the parliament, Oladele Ololade, commended the organisers of the training, stressing that their understanding about government, legislation and roles of children were broadened.
The state Coordinator of Children Parliament in Lagos, Mr Bashiru Iyapo, said that members were drawn from public schools in the 20 local government areas in Lagos, with two each from each constituency.
The RoLAC programme officer in Lagos, Mrs Ajibola Ajimakinwa, said the organisation had supported the selection process and the inauguration of the 6th Children Parliament between January and February 2020.
Ajimakinwa said that they were able to support the Ministry of Youth and Social Development (MYSD) to train the newly inaugurated 6th Parliament and ensured they agreed on priority actions that would be carried out during their tenure.
“Lagos State passed the Child Rights Law in 2007 and as part of efforts to ensure children’s participation in actions that affect them and to distinguish themselves by actively lobbying and advocating for the rights of children in the state.
RoLAC is supporting the two-day training,” she said. (NAN)
