SPEECH ON THE DAY OF THE AFRICAN CHILD – JUNE 16TH

Ijebu Ode Grammar School The Principal, Vice Principals, Members of Staff seated here this morning, and fellow students of the prestigious Ijebu Ode Grammar School, good morning.

I wish to begin by expressing my profound gratitude to Almighty God, who has enabled the emergence of a day like this, and has granted us the opportunity to witness this day—a day set aside to recognize the plight and the potential of the African child. The Day of the African Child has been celebrated on June 16 every year since 1991, when it was first initiated by the OAU.

It honors those brave students who participated in the Soweto Uprising in 1976. It also raises awareness of the continuing need for improvement in the education provided to the African Child. In Soweto, South Africa, on June 16, 1976, about ten thousand black children marched in a column about a kilometer long, protesting the poor quality of their education. They demanded their right to be taught with dignity and in their own language.

Tragically, hundreds of students were shot by the police, the most famous among them being Hector Pieterson. Over a hundred people were killed in the weeks following the protest, and more than a thousand were injured. The theme for this commemoration is “The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development for Children in Africa: Accelerating protection, empowerment, and equal opportunity.” Proper education is the most formidable tool we have to achieve this goal.

For us at Ijebu Ode Grammar School, providing a student-centered educational opportunity must be the major objective of all stakeholders. Our thoughts must be dominated by how best to implement our curriculum so that core values are internalized by every student. On our part as students, we must re-orientate ourselves. The values observed in our behavior should not only reflect academic excellence but also the practical demonstration of integrity, signifying a people who cherish the core values of our society.

I wish to seize this opportunity to thank the Principal of the School and all members of staff for the privilege granted me as the Senior Prefect to stand before you today. I also want to pledge the allegiance of all the prefects toward ensuring a better academic environment and upholding the noble traditions of this school.

Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
Long live Ijebu Ode Grammar School!
Non Nobis Domine!