27th May, 2021
By Jethro Ibileke/Benin
As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark Children’s Day, the Wife of Edo State Governor, Betsy Obaseki, has urged parents to sustain and retain some of the positive lessons and habits they have imbibed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She made the call in a statement she issued on Thursday, to mark this year’s Children’s Day celebration.
She noted that the coming of the dreaded disease has forced us to learn some vital lessons and way of living in the family.
According to her, “During this pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, parents have had more time to be with their children, leading to a closer bond between us parents and our wards.
“Families holed up together, achieved greater understanding and togetherness this period.
“As the economy is opening up and we are gradually winning this war against the Covid-19 pandemic, these positive lessons and habits which the Covid-19 pandemic has forced on us should not be dispensed with.”
She named some of the positive lessons to include spending more time with children and family members, hand washing and general cleanliness.
Obaseki who decried the sharp increase in gender-based violence during the lockdown, however, reaffirmed her resolve to do all within her power to stem the tide.
She said: “We also observed that there was an increase in gender-based violence during the pandemic, of which children are the primary victim.
“For this reason, in my capacity as the First Lady of Edo State, I have been involved and supporting initiatives that directly and indirectly address some of the root causes of these criminal activities, with a view to curbing the menace.
“I however reaffirm my unflinching resolve in my supportive capacity to do all within my power towards ensuring that the Edo child gets the best that this government has to offer,” she assured.