Top of the evening to u all.
      last week Tuesday little Abiola just 9 years old  was at somewhere in Ajegunle market hawking pure water under the scorching sun her small frame was really compressed carrying about 4 bags of pure on a big plastic water on her head. I watched her till she moved away from the scorching sun to at least shield her weary innocent soul from the ever angry rays of the Lagos sun.
     In the middle of the road i saw a young boy named Musa 12 years old hustling by using brush and soapy water to quickly wash the windscreen of any car struck in the traffic and he did it with so much dexterity that i was forced to asked him his name, a young child trying to raise money to pay for his uniform at school.
    This and many more thousands upon thousand of Nigerian children are suffering daily, or should i write about the almost 300 female Chibok students that were in the act of creating a purposeful future that were kidnapped. Beyond this it is a  fact that all children should enjoy some basic child right as outline by the UN convention on the right of a child. Unfortunately this law has been thrown into the hands of adults who can hardly interpret the law.
    Today May 27th is a day set aside by my country Nigeria to celebrate the Nigerian child, but as a child right advocate i find myself asking myself  "has the scorecard really been fair to the average Nigerian child whose father isn't a politician neither his mother a high ranking NNPC worker.
   I could remeber vividly while i was still at primary school that at the end of every term my class teacher would give my mother my report sheet for that term. This method of evaluation enables the parents of a child knows the academic strengths and weaknesses of their child and work on the child to improve and make better grades come the next term.
    Thus the report sheet has become an audit tool for the parents, as it helps them to determine the subjects in which their children need help and how to channel their abilities. Having considered all this additional initiatives, this year events begs a few questions:

Are there report sheets or score cards to measure our projects and programmes for children ? who issues and reviews the scorecard to keep us in line and enable chart a course in the best interest of children in the country. Indeed the Nigerian federal govenment and a number of organizations have minimal commendable initiatives and projects in the area of education, approved schools, trainning centers recreational facilities, institutional care, and support to welfare organization. Yet the same government has been unable to fulfill many of its promises in this regard.
      We have come to a point where we need dedicated and proactive referees to keep our leaders and stakeholders especially the government and NGOs that receive huge grants on behalf of children in line with performance scorecards which can be publicly issued at reasonable intervals
      In Nigeria we have a long list of expectations from children. We remind them that they are the leaders of tomorrow, counsel them on the ills of vices and sermonize to them about the virtues of excellence at school and play. We brandish the chikd right Acts etched on colourful papers and we make endless promises. But while we are still at it, millions of children walk father away from education into ignorance. Thousands die daily from parental and national neglect, as well as roam our streets, having fled from hunger, abuse, deprivation. exploitation and dehumanisation, others are remanded in homes due to abandonment or whisked to prison for offences that are the results of a failed society.
     Herbert Hoover who is credited for saying "children are our most valuable natural resource" also made a statement that we must guide against he said " Blessed are the young for they shall inherit the national debts". If we school our children on the debris of the quality education that we had or leave  debts for our children they will strike back by disrespecting our laws, liquidating our priced resources as they toe the line of corrupt leaders and abandon us when we are too weak to speak for our selves
    To forestall a breakdown we need to proactively implement our promises. To ensure implementation, we need honest, objective, fast based reports on the state of our children especially in the areas of safety, health and education. This will provide a tool for effective collaboration to ensure that our children needs are being met. The scorecard will provide a practical foundation on which to track implementation, build  initiative and track strategies as we work towards the goals of improving our national agenda for children.
     This year's children day events afford parents, guardians and mentors the opportunity to spend time with and truly participate in the celebration and appreciation of the Nigerian child
  #bringbackourgirls                                                                                        Offor Hope Jeremiah

THE WALK
I think it all started when I was 18 years old and in my first year at campus. That was about the time that I started to observe people’s behaviour and just to think about life. I was taking a walk with two friends and was in deep thought. They were chatting, but I was not paying attention to what they were saying. Then suddenly I said
“You know guys; I am pretty disappointed with the adult world.”
One of them asked me why and I explained that when I was going to campus I expected a lot of change and difference in the behaviour of the people around me. After all, they were adults. I always thought being an “adult” was a lot different from being a kid. However I felt after being on campus for a few months that the adult world was not what I had expected.
Everyone just seemed to behave like they were still teenagers. Nobody seemed to be outstanding in any way. There was no distinction, as far as I could see, between the 18 year old and the 50 year old apart from their age! Where was the wisdom and excellence I had come to expect. There was no change!
I did not know it then, but over the years I have come to see that the reason people don’t change is simply that they do not dare to be different.
WHAT DOES BEING DIFFERENT MEAN?
Being different means:- Not being afraid to challenge the norm.- Being willing to take a chance.- Asking why.- Making your own track, not just following the well trodden path.- Charting your own course and destiny.- Being the person that you were meant to be.
I believe that everyone is born unique. But through the years we work very hard to be like everyone else. We conform to society’s so-called “common-sense.” Unfortunately it is just that – “common sense.” That does not mean its “good sense.”
THE FOLLY OF EDUCATION.
If I were to take just the people in this room, it is likely that most of you have spent anything from 15 to 20 years getting an education so you can get the jobs you have. Doesn’t it strike you as irresponsible that one can spend so much time getting an education and yet so many people don’t make any deliberate effort to develop their greatest asset – themselves!
Most people think once they have a qualification that’s it. They have arrived. Is it any wonder they don’t grow? They are stagnant. Stuck at 18!
Most of us won’t even read unless there’s an exam in sight. But you know what? Everyday of your life is an exam. Everyday you either pass or fail the test of life. Everyday is an opportunity to grow beyond your present barriers and circumstances. Everyday is a chance to become a better person.
The saddest part is most of people don’t realize this. If they had to be graded at the end of their lives you know what they’d get? D, D and more D’s. And yet they thought they were doing very well. They let society’s “common sense” grade them.
MY ADVICE?
If I can leave you with one piece of advice it would be this: READ
Society celebrates mediocrity so much that it does not take much to set yourself above the rest. Doing that one thing regularly will put you way above the rest. Read books that challenge you and that make you think.
I have decided to read at least one book every month. I’m already amazed at the results.

MY FINAL WORDS
In closing I’d like to say to those of you that are skeptics out there, those of you that are saying “oh, he is just drink with the omnipotence of youth. He’ll get over it, and then he’ll be just like everyone else.”
My words to you are:
“I ain’t going out like that. I know that I have an abundance of potential within me and I will bring it out to fruition. Why?”
“Because…I AM DIFFERENT   by Offor Hope Jeremiah

Positive youth development

Positive youth development, or PYD, refers to intentional efforts of other youth, adults, communities, government agencies, and schools to provide opportunities for youth to enhance their interests, skills, and abilities into their adulthoods. Youth development overall is the physical, social, and emotional processes that occur during the adolescent period, from ages 10 until 24 years. Simply speaking, it is the process through which young people acquire the cognitive, social, and emotional skills and abilities required to navigate life (University of Minnesota Extension Center for Youth Development). Although the word 'youth' can be used synonymously with 'child', 'adolescent', or 'young person', the phrase 'youth development' or 'positive youth development' is usually used in the scientific literature and by practitioners who work with youth to refer to programs designed to optimize these processes.^[1] It is distinguished from 'child development' or 'adolescent development' in its focus on the active promotion of optimal human development, rather than on the scientific study of age related change.