Olori Temitope Ogunwusi, Wife of the Ooni of Ife, on Tuesday celebrated the International Day of African Child (DAC) 2026 with the students of King’s College Lagos (KCL).
Ogunwusi, a Public Health Communicator and the C.E.O and Deputy Convener of the Hopes Alive Initiative, said DAC was a legacy that needed to be celebrated.
The Newsmen report that the Day of African Child (DAC) was instituted in 1991 by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the OAU in memory of the June 16, 1976 student uprising in Soweto, South Africa.
At that time, students marched protesting the poor-quality education they received and demanding to be taught in their languages.
During the protest hundreds of school children were killed.
The Day of the African Child is celebrated to commemorate these children and the brave action they took to defend their rights.
The Day also serves to celebrate children of Africa as well as inspire a sober reflection and action toward addressing the challenges that children in Africa face on a daily basis.
Ogunwusi, a Humanitarian and Philanthropist, said DAC was a remarkable achievement of 50 years of fighting for the rights of children.
She said that many expectations toward the growth and development of the African child had not been met, but would be achieved with time.
“Fifty years ago, some children died, some became homeless, mothers mourned their children, today is a legacy which gave birth to the recognition of the rights of an African child.
“What kind of African child do you want to be? You are here because someone believed in you.
“Therefore, choose integrity above everything, be humble, respectful and take cognissance of the simplest instructions,” she said.