HOPE FOR NIGERIA CONFERENCE is conference organised for secondary school’s students in the FCT. Represented at the conference were five students from each of 14 secondary schools. The conference aims at

• Campaigning and advocating against child poverty
• Sponsoring and promoting the welfare and wellbeing of our youth
• Empowering young people
• Inculcating integrity, cultural and intellectual values

It is aimed also at supporting and equipping schools with equipment and facilities for learning as far as possible.

“We are guilty of many errors and many faults but our worst crime is abandoning the children, neglecting the fountain of life. Many of the things we need could wait – the child cannot” Lucia Alcayaga

Elie Wiesel, in ‘The peril of indifference’, warns, of the danger of indifference! ‘To be indifferent to the suffering of fellow human makes the human in us, inhuman. Indifference, he opined, is more dangerous than anger and hatred. Anger can at times be creative - one writes great poem, a great symphony. Or one does something for the sake of humanity because one is angry at the injustices that one witnesses. Even hatred at times may elicit a response. You fight it. You denounce it. You disarm it. Indifference elicits no response. Indifference is not a response!

The International Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was adopted November 20, 1989 by the UN General Assembly. Nigeria adopted the Child rights Act in 2003 to domesticate the CRC.

Statistics on the well-being of Nigerian Children, as evidenced by research and media coverage, are very deplorable. An estimated 13.5 million are out of school! Nigeria is thus caped with one more ignominy, among others, as harbouring the largest number of out-of-school children in the world (BBC report 2017) (Punch Newspaper 19/06/2019)

Our campaign and advocacy are altogether, expression of anger and despair! Anger and despair, at the state of our nation; the grand and eye-watering corruption, the lawlessness and impunity; poverty and insecurity; brought upon our children by criminaloids in public and private spaces of our nation, earning us the reputation and the ignominy of ‘the poverty capital of the world’. And consequently, the neglect of our children and our young people!

We’re here advocating and calling on state and non state actors and institutions and other stakeholders, that the status quo is no longer acceptable; and demand therefore the following seven points agenda for the welfare of our children and young people.

1. Free prenatal and postnatal medical cares for expectant Nigerian mothers
2. Free medical provisions for children to age 18
3. Free and compulsory education for children to secondary schools age
4. Free school meals for primary school children
5. Children to learn from classrooms; not under trees or make shift accommodation
6. Proactive policies and strategies to rid our nation of ignominy of the more than 13.5 million out of school children, mainly associated with the ‘almajari’ phenomenon
7. Children to school without fearing of kidnapping and murderous gangs of Boko Haram and bandits

Highlight of our maiden conference, with 14 secondary schools in attendance, included award and prizes for best essay competitions and more. 30 FCT Secondary schools are expected at the October 2014 conference. Awards and prizes spanning essay competitions and outstanding achievements will be conferred on successful students; and plaques presented to relevant schools. Supplies of critical teaching enhancing resources for schools in need are being considered

Our appeal therefore, to well-wishers, industrialists, businesses, NGOS and other stakeholders is for support and help with donation of items, including, computer laptops, I Pad, Projectors and projector screens, smart chalk boards, generator, furniture, etc. for our children and our nation’s schools. Each donation will be recognised and promoted in the conference programme booklet and our website.