The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adewusi Ogun, Ojaja II
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has emphasised the need for parents to always celebrate their children while ensuring they give them proper upbringing.
He said this at the Ile Odua when he played host to children from over 80 public and private schools from across Ile-Ife town in Osun state in commemoration of the Children’s Day.
“I thank God for keeping our children intact in all they have been doing, the truth be told, as a nation we are not mindful of these children enough especially as regards their future, we should be celebrating them every day, not only on a day set aside for them,” he said.
“Every weekend, weddings are being celebrated and nobody is celebrating these children. The rate at which we are having these young children is very alarming. My point is, its about time we let them know the country belongs to them. Let them feel the impulse of what Nigeria is all about,” the traditional ruler added.
“Our leaders should know that we are heading towards a major crisis in this nation if we do not create a special budget for these children. The rate at which we are producing children in this nation is alarming, very soon they will exceed 60 per cent and become 80 percent that is under 30 years population and that is about 160 million for children alone and who is taking care of them and seeing to their wellbeing?”