CREATING TOMMOROWS LEADERS TODAY: THE NEED FOR INTEGRAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE NIGERIAN CHILD BY: BENNETH JOSEPH

INTRODUCTION Conventionality around the world holds that the young people of any society are the future leaders of that society to which they belong. Holding to this belief therefore, most countries around the world have committed themselves to the integral development of their younger generation through formulation of favorable policies and the creation of both formal and informal institutions to aid this cause. Some of these favorable policies around the world which has proven to play pivotal roles in the development of young people have included: free educational, free health care, child protection laws, play grounds, sports facilities amongst other policies. Some institutions around the globe facilitate the integral development of the young people through their contribution towards schools, skill acquisition centers, academies, technological colleges, universities and a host of others. All of these however, by most countries of the world especially in urope, America and Asia are only in a bid to ensure that those who would be at the helm of affairs in their countries in no distant future have been properly informed and formed through their various developmental programs for young people. However, this seems not to be the case for the !igerian child. "he !igerian child who is to become the future leader of his nation have in no small way become endangered species since little or no attention is given to his integral development. "he !igerian child is living in a state were poverty has become the ne#t door neighbor$ a state where there is stability of starvation and a good percentage of her populace live below two dollars daily. "he !igerian child lives among a people e#isting in fear of their lives and property, which has taken a psychological dimension since there is little or no security assurance by the government. %t is imperative at this point to state that rather than the anomalous of the !igerian state, the cru# of this work is to emphasi&e and discuss the need for the !igerian people, especially her government to pay close attention to the integral development of the !igerian child, for truly they are the leaders of the !igerian tomorrow. "his write up shall further discuss the role of education, government policies and !igerians as a people in the integral development of the !igerian child. EDUCATION AND THE INTEGRAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE NIGERIAN CHILD ncarta 'ictionaries avers that (education is the imparting and acquiring of knowledge through teaching and learning especially at a school or similar institutions.) A further analysis of what education really is has shown that education is supposed to serve as a guide for young people in learning a culture, molding their behavior in the ways of adulthood and directing them towards their eventual role in the society. Considering the meaning of education and its relevance to every human society, it becomes evident that there cannot be a divorce between education and the integral development of the
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!igerian child. "hrough education, the !igerian child ought to reali&e that he is more than who he thinks he is, and understand that on him lies the yoke of the future governance of the !igerian state. "he !igerian Child must begin to mold his behavior through the acquisition of knowledge which of course can only be obtained through a well planned educational scheme by the !igerian government. "hus, the !igerian government cannot afford to sit back and watch the gradual decline of her educational system. She must embrace the challenge and say no to the dilapidating state of infrastructures and facilities found in most of her academic environments. "here should be a well defined structure by the !igerian government comprising a pre*primary, primary, secondary and tertiary educational scheme that would favor the entire citi&enry. "his in no small way would go a long way in informing and forming the !igerian child for a greater !igerian future. 'ouglas +,---. asserts that (every child must become fully competent in reading in order to succeed in school and discharge responsibilities as a citi&en of a democratic state.) "his can only be made possible in the !igerian milieu if education is given a pride of place. "he !igerian government must work hard to ensure that there is the proper funding of her schools and academic staff so that issues such as the incessant strikes called by the Academic Staff /nion of /niversities +AS//. would be a thing of the past. %f education is given a pride of place in !igeria, it is certain that it would foster the integral development of the !igerian child in no small measure. %t becomes imperative at this point to state that religious institutions also have roles to play in the education of the younger generations of !igerians. %t is incumbent on religious institutions to inculcate in the !igerian child good religious and moral values that are fitting for the !igerian society. GOVERNMENT POLIICIES AND THE NIGERIAN CHILD Since the government is saddled with the power to make and enforce laws, it must be conscious of the fact that these affect the quality of life of her citi&enry, positively or negatively. However, with the integral development of the !igerian Child in view, government must ensure that policies are made in favor of the acclaimed leaders of tomorrow. 0urthermore, the !igerian government must frown against child abduction, which has taken the name Child Marriage$ which is being upheld by some !igerian political elites. 1overnment policies must protect the beautiful !igerian girl*child in order to save her from the risk of adolescent pregnancy which is also a ma2or risk factor for hypertension in pregnancy, anemia in pregnancy, prolonged obstructed labor, vesico*vaginal fistula +330. and ultimately maternal mortality. 4et us imagine the so many vacuums that would be ravaging the !igerian society of today if the likes of 5kon2or %weala, 5biageli &ekwesil, 6lessing 5kagbare, Asha, Stella 'amascus, Chimamanda Adichie, female senators amongst other notable !igerian women, were forced or were given into marriage at very tender age of their lives. Child marriage endangers the life of the girl*child and the beautiful future of the !igerian state.

NIGERIANS: FORMING THEIR FUTURE GENERATION !o doubt, the state of the nation has led even more !igerians to that point were abnormality has become normal, were vices are appreciated and applauded in place of virtues, and were even more younger citi&ens intend to pluck the fruits of success and victory without climbing the tree of hard work. 6ut at this point of our discourse, !igerians must understand that for the sake of our younger generation whom we look up to as the leaders of tomorrow, that there is the need to re*e#amine ourselves and become a people of good moral values, if our children are to become a people of substance. "here is a need to stand for what is right, if our children are to become a people of 2ustice and peace, that there is a need to be truly religious, if our children are to know the true meaning of brotherhood and human co*e#istence, that there is a need to work hard in order that we may hand on to the ne#t generation, a tradition of goodness, values, principles and norms of a true democratic state. EVALUATIVE CONCLUSION %f we therefore must create our future leaders today as a people, it is imperative that we begin to give due consideration to all that is needed to aid the integral development of the !igerian Child. %f our children are not informed and formed through education, they would be deformed and if our children are not supported by favorable government policies, they would grow without being true compatriots of their nation. %f we as !igerians do not play our proper roles in the integral development of our young people, they may end up worse than us and what a shame that would be for our own generation. 7e must struggle to help the !igerian Child become a person of integrity, honesty, commitment, competence, peace and love.

REFERENCES "educa !"#$" ncyclop8dia 6ritannica. ncyclopaedia 6ritannica Student and Home dition. Chicago: ncyclop8dia 6ritannica, ,-9-. http:::mdginafrica.wordpress.com:,-9;:-<:,9:why*you*must*stand*up*against*child*marriage* in*nigeria: http:::unllib.unl.edu:4==. =oor >eading Habits Among !igerians: "he >ole of 4ibraries %. !wana2u, Christian-Muslim Relations in Nigeria. 4agos: 0ree nterprise =ublishers, ,--?. !doh C. A., me&i C. ., Nigerian Politics. 5werri: C>C =ublications, ,--?. =. 5 %rikefe, WHY NIGERIA IS NO WOR!ING" he #redicament and the #romise. %badan: @raft 6ooks 4imited, ,-9;.