By Mmaduabuchi Onwumelu and Michael Nnebife
The Governor of Anambra State, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has charged male children in the state to put on virtues of fear of God, hard work and commonsense, for them to grow into happy and great men.
The Governor gave the charge on Thursday 29 May during the occasion of the 2025 International Day of the Boy Child organized in Awka by the Anambra State Civic and Social Reformation Office, ANCISRO, in partnership with E-KEEPAS Enterprise, to celebrate the boy child in the state.
While reminding all male children in the state that their future lies in their hands, Governor Soludo, represented on the occasion by the State Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Mefor, who also chaired the occasion, urged them to begin that day to work hard for their happiness and greatness tomorrow.
‘Please, don’t think that tomorrow is guaranteed without you working on it today,’ the Commissioner told the children.
Noting that the preparation they made today guaranteed their happiness tomorrow, he reminded them that if they failed to build their tomorrow today, they would definitely enter tomorrow unprepared in terms of character, skills, among others.
Dr Mefor gave the children what he called three critical virtues of an average Igbo man that would guide them into greatness and happiness.
‘An average Igbo man is reputed for three virtues as commonsense, hard work, and fear of God. Without these, you will never stand,’ Mefor told them.
He maintained that Soludo loved the Anambra male children and believed that the future of the state was in them.
‘Soludo believes that if you are prepared properly today, you will be able to dominate tomorrow. That is why he gave Free Education from kindergarten to senior secondary in all the public schools.
‘The only way you can pay him back for what he is doing in the education sector is to study hard so that you will retain the position of Anambra State as the leader in education in Nigeria.
‘We have been occupying that position; we have never come below top; we have always been either first or second, and this will not begin to change in your own time,’ Mefor said.
He continued, ‘Another thing the Governor wants you to know is that hard work guarantees happiness. If you want Yahoo boys to be your role model, your failure has started already, for there is no hope in Yahoo business,’ the Commissioner told the children, reminding them that there was no possibility of wealth, without work, and a crown, without a cross, but only hard work, as well as the fear of God that guaranteed their happiness and greatness tomorrow.
The keynote speaker on the occasion, Dr Akachukwu Maduakolam, urged Anambra boys to take responsibility of their own development.
Dr Maduakolam, who suggested knowledge-driven training of male children at home through correction, guidance, among others, considering their peculiarities, advised the critical education stakeholders to provide male children with more opportunities for their self-development, including mentorship, and facilities for innovation where they would do experiments in trying new things.
Earlier, the host and Managing Director, ANCISRO, Sir Chuka Nnabuife, said the event was put in place by the ANCISRO to educating the Anambra Boy Child on what it took to be good leaders and responsible men in society.
In an interview with the press, the Managing Director argued that male children needed to be celebrated because they even had a more challenging life to build a society.
‘We should have a day for the boys to teach them how to be boys and let them know the responsibility on their shoulders.
‘This is why we used the theme, ”Boys Today, Great Men Tomorrow”, so that every boy child will begin to know what is in the offing for him,’ Sir Nnabuife said, and expressed excitement, saying the event turned out a huge success.
In a vote of thanks, the Communication Officer, E-KEEPAS Enterprise, Ewa Ukpa, expressed gratitude to all the participants in the event for their various support and contributions.
Distribution of copies of ”I Believe in Anambra” handbook to numerous male students, drawn from various secondary schools in Awka and environs; and presentation by the students, were parts of the event which attracted among others, the Executive Assistant to Governor Soludo on Women’s Affairs, Hope Okoye; and the President General, Anambra State Association of Town, Youth Wing, Comrade Ken Okoli, who were discussants; including scholars who spoke to the students about the challenges and opportunities they had.
