BY FANEN EARL SE
The saying, “there is no place like home” is true and cannot be taken for granted. Citizens of any country should be proud of their country, especially when such a country is among the richest or highly respected ones. It is based on this reason that I shall be using words to paint a picture of the Nigeria we want. First, we will always want a country that is free from negative vices such as armed robbery, kidnapping, killings, corruption and many other vices. A good citizen of every country would always want peaceful co-existence in his or her country. As citizens of great nation, we would want the country to become a terror-free zone. This may make Nigerians more popular, accepted and respected in any part of the world and recognised as citizens of one of the most peaceful countries in the world.
Secondly, we would want human rights not violated. We would want to be treated fairly and properly understood. The voice of children needs to be heard and their welfare should also be given adequate attention by the government of Nigeria, governmental organisations, non-governmental organisations and individuals. This is important because according to Abraham Lincoln “children are the light bulbs at the end of the dark tunnels.” Readers, would you like to see us, the little light bulbs, being deprived of our rights? Or would you want to see us being emotionally downcast because our rights are being trampled upon? Obviously “No”. So, as Nigerians, we don’t want the rights of children to be violated anymore.
Thirdly, Nigeria should be free from bribery and corruption. There should be an end to bribery and corruption in our dear country. Bribery is an illegal act of giving gifts in form of money, items of any kind, etc to someone or group of people in order to gain an illegal advantage. Corruption on the other hand is the act of changing one’s behaviour to a bad one through bribery and other means. Corruption can also simply mean any wrong way of getting things done. There should be no bribery and corruption anymore in Nigeria especially because of its effects on the nation’s economy and welfare of citizens.
Finally, crisis such as inter or intra-communal conflicts, herders/farmers crisis, bandit attacks, to mention just a few, should be put to an end permanently in Nigeria. These crises lead to displacement of people including children who move to take cover in IDP camps. Many other children are compelled to drop out of school. Some become hawkers on the streets while others are raped and end up carrying unwanted pregnancies, STDs, stigma and self withdrawal/isolation, among many other unpleasant experiences. All these should be put to a stop to make Nigeria a better place for her citizens.
I would like to conclude that, as future leaders and citizens of Nigeria, we look forward for a better country that is free from bandit attacks, no more bribery and corruption; a place where children are no longer deprived of their rights, no child abuse and street hawking and so on. When these and other things are corrected, we can have a better Nigeria of our dreams. A terror-free Nigeria is possible if only we can make conscious efforts towards building a better nation for the present and the future generations. God bless Nigeria.
Earl Se is the chief whip, Benue State Children Parliament
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