Some National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members serving in Ikotun, a suburb of Lagos, and some teachers have organised a Valentine rally for school children in the area.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the rally featured exchange of gifts, Valentine beauty contest and seminar on “Valentine and reality of love” as well as the award of prizes for good performance in Mathematics.
The coordinator, Oluwatobi Obisesan, a mathematician, told NAN at the end of the programme that they decided to organize the show to encourage talents and award academic excellence.
“Children need to be reminded of the need to spread true love and be taught to shun negative traits that go with the commemoration of valentine among youths.
“As a mathematics teacher, I decided to reward those doing well in my subject on such a special day because I know many children detest the subject so I want to encourage them,” he said.
NAN reports that the best student in mathematics was a 13-year-old Miss Nengi Tonworio, who also won the Miss Valentine beauty contest.
Also speaking, Mrs Funmilola Gbadamosi, a corps member who is a computer and Mathematics specialist, told NAN that love should not know bounds.
“Love should be an epitome of happiness, understanding and beauty and we should teach this to school children who are our hope for tomorrow.
“It begins from our various tribes and religions, if we all have love, we shall not recognize any difference within us which is our mission for the youths and children,” she said.
The NYSC official in charge of social sciences, Mrs Promise Umoren, said it was necessary to teach the young girls the reality of Valentine as against the misconception of lust.
“We decided to educate our young girls and warn them against those that would come to lead them astray in the name of valentine, they should learn to say no to such passes,” she told NAN.
The coordinator of the beauty contest, Edwin Victor, a science teacher, Holy Family School, Ikotun, told NAN that they decided to organize the contest to discover various talents in the children.
“Having ‘Miss and Mr Valentine’ contest is to awaken the spirit of boldness and discover talents in these children, it is an annual programme to give the winners leadership responsibility,” he told NAN.
The winners of the beauty contest were Nengi Tonworio, Miss Valentine, Esther Azubuike second position, while Princess Daniel bagged the third position.
Mr Valentine was won by 12-year-old Anthony Clement, ahead of second-placed Joshua Oyenike and Wisdom Ndubuisi, the third.
Speaking, the proprietor, Prevailer Schools, Lagos, Mr Austin Aghali, said with love, there would not be kidnapping, killings and all sorts of vandalism in the country.
According to him, the increase in social vices is a failure on the part of the families because they have abandoned their responsibilities to the schools.
“If our children are taught love from the home, there would be no issue of bullying or fighting in schools and outside the community.
“Unfortunately, because of the craze for money, many parents are not available for their children. In 24 hours, school only takes 1/3 of the day, leaving the rest and weekend to parents.
Steven Odogwu, a project Engineer, told NAN that love should not be restricted to only a day because God needs that love beyond a day and not just the 14th of February.
“Ladies should stop putting men on high jump in the name of valentine, because we might not have the means to satisfy their unending demands,” he said. (NAN)
