Children’s Day Celebrations Promote Education, Safe Communities, and Strong Families in Nigeria

Naomi MacMurdie

June 28, 2023

In commemoration of the 2023 National Children’s Day Celebration held every May in Nigeria, Global Peace Foundation (GPF) Nigeria partnered with Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Real Life Mathematics, an educational and social improvement initiative, and other organizations to organize celebrations for more than 1,000 primary school children in twenty schools across Abuja and Lapai State.

Children, educators, families, and entire communities came together at various schools as well as the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Arena on May 25, 2023, for special performances, including cultural dances and drum lines.

Students perform cultural dances in celebration of National Children’s Day in Nigeria

Bukola da Silva, the General Manager of NTA, gave welcoming remarks before the festivities began telling the children gathered, “Today is your day, and we all are here because of you. This is our way of showing you that irrespective of your condition, ethnicity, or religion, Nigeria loves and expects you to love one another.” She urged the children to have fun and, above all, learn something positive by making good friends from other schools.

Children and families celebrate Nigeria’s National Children’s Day 2023

Comr. Abdul Hamid Salihu, Director General of NTA, expressed his profound gratitude to GPF Nigeria and partnering organizations saying, “Education is the bedrock upon which our society thrives and flourishes, and it is the medium through which our children are empowered to shape brighter future not only for themselves but also for the entire nation.”

Students perform cultural dances in celebration of National Children’s Day in Nigeria

Country Director for GPF Nigeria, Rev. John Joseph Hayab, addressed parents and teachers, saying they had the “noblest responsibilities in life, which is raising and training children who are the future of our families and society.”

Outside the arena, in classrooms, GPF Nigeria also hosted smaller gatherings for school children. Here, mentors were able to host “career talks” with students who were taken through steps for successful career paths and steps to actualize their dreams, poetry recitation, music and dance, and messages of peace with a special focus on religious tolerance, love for one another, and unity in diversity.