Dr Femi Ogunsanya, the proprietress of Oxbridge College, has urged parents and teachers to focus more on character building when raising children, to avoid societal values being eroded.
Ogunsanya gave the advice while delivering a keynote address on Monday, at the Little People Big Future Conference in Lagos.
The proprietress, also the Chairman Board of Trustees, Association of Private School Proprietors of Nigeria, in her speech, emphasised the importance of education.
“Education is the best legacy that your parents can give you to improve your future. If you develop it, it can catapult you to a place where you can make Nigeria a great nation.
“Education is made up of two areas – the book aspect and character development. It is the character development that is proving challenging in Nigeria.
“We are losing our values like integrity, trustworthiness, compassion and discipline, as we need to respect authorities,” she said.
Ogunsanya also enjoined the children to imbibe reading culture, to gain knowledge.
Also, Mrs Modupe Adebambo, the Head of Lagos State Child Protection Agency, said that children needed to be taught how to protect themselves against all forms of abuse.
“Children are resourceful and creative, but their energy has to be channeled properly to utilise it.
“For a little person to have a big future, there are so many things you have to do. You have to know your friends and choose them wisely, as your friends will determine your character.
“As children, you are very vulnerable to abuse, perpetrators of child abuse are usually people known to a child, so you need to be careful about the people around you,’’ Adebambo said.
Mrs Mercy Makinde, the Convener and Founder of Amazing Amazon Initiative, said that the purpose of the conference was to empower children to become leaders of tomorrow.
“There is no better way to bring children here to talk. We want to know your worries and anxieties. The essence of today’s event is to celebrate children,” Makinde said.
The conference was organised by The Amazing Amazon Initiative, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), in commemoration of Children’s Day.
No fewer than 200 children from various primary and secondary schools across Lagos attended the conference.
