Children in the Bwari council area of Abuja, on Monday, called on the government at all levels to improve access to social amenities and infrastructure for the community’s development.

Some of the children said that it was paramount for the country’s leaders to remember the immediate needs of the young children.

They appealed to the government to consider making policies that would make life easier for not only parents but also children.

According to Daniel Adewale, a primary school pupil, it is paramount for the country’s leaders to remember the immediate needs of the Nigerian child.

”Here in the rural communities, some of us still lacked some basic amenities.

”The government should remember that children need good hospitals and safe places to play. Sometimes, when we are sick, our parents find it difficult to access healthcare services.

”I am also appealing to the government to subsidise the cost of healthcare services in the country,” Mstr Adewale said.

Similarly, Fedora Lawal, another child in the community, urged the government to improve the power supply and also make a public reading facility available.

“Here in Bwari town, we don’t have a recreational park suitable for children to celebrate on public holidays like Children’s Day. We also need a public library where we can go, register, and read at our leisure. It is important for growing children. I also want them to improve on constant power supply in this area,” said the youngster.

In the same vein, Gift Oche, another child in the area, appealed to the government to consider creating policies that would make life easier not only for parents but also for children.

She called for improved healthcare facilities, school rehabilitation and reconstruction, access to a water supply, and a lowered cost of foodstuffs to sustain the livelihood of the citizens.

The girl added that the government should help more children attend school by assisting parents who were not financially able to send their children to school.

Meanwhile, Emeka Nwachukwu, a parent and a teacher, has called for deliberate investment in children’s welfare, adding that the health and education of a child were paramount and should not be taken for granted.

Mr Nwachukwu noted that it was essential to recognise the potential of each Nigerian child and work towards creating opportunities for that child to develop.

This, he said, would enable them to grow into an icon in society, one that could impact the nation and the world at large.

“The truth is that children are not asking for too much; they want to be safe, learn, and be healthy. When we celebrate special days for children, the government should focus on better infrastructure, wages and training for teachers and good health services for our children.

”We need to keep them off the streets, away from every form of societal ills, protect them at all costs and ensure that they have access to quality services at all levels of life,” he said. 

(NAN)