The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), has promised to support Splendour Child Empowerment Foundation to propagate and promote peace among the children and youths, especially during the forthcoming 2023 presidential elections.
The Managing Director of NAN, Mr Buki Ponle made the pledge when the National Peace Ambassador of the foundation, Miss Splendour Joe-King, led a delegation to visit him on Thursday in Abuja.
Ponle said the agency would lend its voice to ensure politicians did not use children as tools to win elections at all cost, adding that it was time to give the right legacy for the Nigerian child.
He said NAN would support the foundation in realising a successful outing at the dinner that would bring stakeholders together to have a conversation on the safety of the Nigerian youths during the coming elections.
He said that children should not just be considered as future leaders but should be looked upon as leaders of today, thus, their rights should be well protected in the society.
“Let me give you our assurance and support to this programme. Without you asking for it, we are already there.
“The rights of children are very germane in my heart because when their rights are violated, the society is finished because children are our voices.
“We cherish children in Africa because we know that after we are gone, they will stand in for us to speak and to continue with what we have left behind; so we cannot afford to toy with children and their voices.
“So, as far as NAN is concerned, we are going to make it a resounding success on what you have embarked upon and even beyond that.
“And apart from assisting in ensuring peace, we will ensure that the book you have written has increased visibility. We are going to be part of the diner before, during and after.
“We will continue in our own little way to ensure that those who should know, be enlisted and be part of the campaign on the issues of the children,’’ he said.
Ponle therefore invited the foundation’s ambassador to NAN Forum, where issues concerning women and children would be discussed on a wider range.
He said the news of the forum would be disseminated within and outside the country at no cost to the foundation as part of the agency’s way of supporting the campaign of the foundation.
While commending the foundation for the work it was doing, Ponle enjoined youths to emulate the good work and urged the media to join hands to promote peace among the Nigerian youths.
Earlier, the National Peace Ambassador of Splendour Child Empowerment Foundation, sought the agency’s support and partnership in ensuring peace among Nigerian children.
Joe-King, who is the National Peace Ambassador, National Human Rights Commission and an author, commended the agency in its role in ensuring the right of women and children were safeguarded.
She said: “My journey started by writing a book on “The effects of terrorism on children’, which I wrote at the age of nine. I have been campaigning and educating, that children should be carried along in the fight against terrorism.
“ I have been educating children on the dangers and effect of terrorism because they are the grassroots solution to the fight against terrorism
“If you can get the minds of these children, I think we have succeeded in the fight against terrorism. Catching them young is extremely important to end the fight against terrorism.
“My sister and I started a mind-change project, where we resolved that for a person to be properly reformed, the reformation must start from the mind. And the mind-change project birthed the peace project.’’
According to Joe-King, peace is important in our country and we the Nigerian children are calling for peace because we are tired of the violent happening around us.
She explained that many children had died and some made orphans as a result of the recent happenings in the country which could be avoided.
“That is why we are speaking up because we want a Nigeria where we can move about freely and not be bothered about being killed or kidnaped.
“We are speaking about peace because of the 2023 elections coming up. Most youths would want to go into violence and we don’t want that.
“We want a society where we can all live freely. That is why through this peace campaign, we are going to organise a peace dinner.
“The peace dinner is majorly for our elders, those that have influence, especially we want the President and his wife to be there at that meeting because they are the ones that can get these youths to follow them and stop violence wherever they are.
“Because of these elections, we want to appeal to our elders that it is not a do or die affair to win elections; we should not make it an avenue to kill fellow Nigerians.
“We want to use that avenue to appeal to the heart of our elders, to let go of their grievances for the sake of the Nigerian children as there will be no place for us if the country is destroyed.
“So we are here to seek your support as a father, because we the children, we cannot do this alone.
“ I first of all, want to see if your organisation can also give us endorsement and partnership in most of the work which I want to do and also partner with us in the peace dinner, to see it is successful.’’
