Press Releases

Be Prepared To Deal With Challenges Of Leadership – Fashola Tells Children

Dec 23, 2009 - Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Wednesday urged children in the State to pay attention to programmes and activities meant to prepare them to deal with the challenges of leadership.

Addressing the hundreds of children who attended the End of Year Children’s Party hosted by the Governor and the First Lady, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, at the Lagos House Open Ground, Alausa, Mr. Fashola said one of the ways to do this is to listen to their teachers and parents as well as participating in all the school activities targeted at their development.

Governor Fashola said the resuscitation of the Boy Scout, Girls Guide, Red Cross and other uniformed voluntary organizations and introduction of Climate Change Clubs in public schools are some of the State Government’s way of preparing the children and putting them in a better position to deal with the challenges the present leaders are facing.

“I urge you to continue to participate in these programmes that are targeted at your development”, the Governor said adding that other such activities include the Spelling Bees Competition introduced by the wife of his immediate predecessor, Chief (Mrs.) Oluremi Tinubu and which has made it possible for one of the children to be Governor of the State for one day every year.

He urged, “I hope that one of you very soon will come and share my office. We must say a big thank you to Mrs. Tinubu who started the Competition. We must also say a big thank you to the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO) which has kept the Competition alive”.

Expressing pleasure at the success of the reintroduction of the Schools Debate in public schools in the State, Governor Fashola said in 2010, the State Government also plans to introduce a new competition – the Quiz Competition to test how quickly the children can think and how well they remember things.

“We are also bringing back sports to enable you exercise your bodies and become champions, to learn the spirit of competition; to learn also how to win and how to lose and that life is not a bed of roses because sometimes you win and sometimes you lose”, the Governor said.

Governor Fashola also urged the children to thank the Local Government and Local Council chairmen as well as their parents and guardians who are in the employment of Government for their contributions in making life better for the children.

“Your mummies and daddies have worked with us throughout the year to ensure that you are healthy, to immunize many of you, especially the young ones against polio. You must thank them because they are keeping you away from diseases”, the Governor said.

He continued, “We have set for ourselves the task to make sure that those of you in public schools will not sit on the floor again in 2010; all your schools will have desks and chairs without exception”.

Governor Fashola also thanked the children for their contributions in governance of the State through suggestions which they sometimes make directly through writings or indirectly through their parents’ e-mails.

“I have responded to some of these writings telling me the condition of the areas where you live, about how much more work we also need to do as your parents. I thank you all. It continues to keep us on our toes, telling us what we need to do more preparing Lagos for the future, preparing Lagos for you”, the Governor said adding that Government does not take these responsibilities lightly.

The Governor, however, urged the children, “You also have responsibilities to yourselves no matter how young you are. These responsibilities include listening to your parents. You must also listen to your teachers. When your parents are at work, it is your teachers that are your parents. You spend a lot of time with them; they look after you, teach you new things and prepare you for leadership”.

Also present at the event were the Deputy Governor, Princess Sarah Sosan, some members of COWLSO and other top Government functionaries.