Press Releases

Fashola Defies Rainfall At Children Day Marchpast
…Thanks them for contributions to the successes of his administration and re-election

May 27, 2011 - Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) on Friday defied the torrential rains to join children in the State as they celebrate the 2011 Children and Youth Day, thanking the children for their contributions in the circumstances leading to his re-election and successes recorded during the first term of his administration.

The Governor who spoke at the Police College, Ikeja where the children march past him and also put up calisthenic displays added that the Children's Day celebration represented an opportunity to appreciate the children along with their parents and guardians.

Governor Fashola also said the country will only get better as the children of honour all grow up to become leaders and men and women of honour whose word would be their bond.

The Governor who said he had apprehensions about the heavy rainfall which Lagos has witnessed in the last couple of hours and what impact it will have on the children's day, commended the defiant manner in which the children still turned out for the parade.

He also applauded the children, the voluntary organizations and those responsible for the callisthenic displays at the Parade for the display of a spirit of defiance which has come to define Lagos as the State where everything positive is possible.

The Lagos State Governor who requested a minute silence in memory of children who are pupils of Cornerstone Primary School, Awoyaya, Eti–Osa who lost their lives in a fatal accident, urged all drivers of public and private schools to avail themselves of the facilities that Lagos has in its fully operational driving institutes.

The Governor was of the view that the road mishap was not inevitable and would have been avoided if extra care was taken on the road, stressing that stemming such avoidable mishaps informed why the State has taken road traffic messages to the schools through the school advocacy programme.

He reiterated that if they enrol in the driving institutes they would be able to improve their level of road awareness, road safety consciousness and also test their vision.

He added that the State Government will not play politics with Lagos, its residents or its prosperity especially concerning the future of the children as it was engaged in by members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who instigated resistance to the construction work on the concessioned Eti–osa-Lekki Express road.

He said now after the initial hiccup instigated by the cynics on the Eti Osa-Lekki Expressway, work has resumed on the road and relief has spread to all the children who live or commute through the area as travel time is reduced.

Governor Fashola said in addressing some of the fears expressed by some children to him about how things can improve, the State has recorded astounding successes in the Bus Rapid Transport system, improved security and massive immunization for the children with the result that in the last two years Lagos has been polio free.

The Governor added that children have played a very significant role in amplifying the successes recorded by the administration with their participation in many educational programmes like schools debate, Spelling Bee and other quiz competitions.

He emphasized that each time he watches the children participating in the quiz competition and other programmes designed for them, he feels proud that the future is indeed very secure with the kind of potentials shown by the children.

Speaking earlier, the Deputy Governor, Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan who spoke through the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Mrs Omolara Erogbogbo urged the children to remember that to whom much is given much is expected.

He added that as leaders of tomorrow, it is mandatory for them to imbibe the right values that will make them good adults by being focused and ensure that they set goals for themselves.

She commended the teachers for their various efforts at positioning the children and also thanked the parents for their moral and financial commitment to the development and growth of the children.

The Governor later cut the Children's Day cake with some of the children at the ceremony which also featured callisthenic displays and march past by some schools and uniformed organizations like the Red Cross, the Boys Scout, the Boys Brigade, the Girls Brigade and the Sherrif Guard.

The event was witnessed by the Deputy Governor, Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan, Deputy Governor -Elect, Hon Adejoke Orelope- Adefulire, Permanent Secretaries, heads of extra-ministerial departments and many school children.