31st October, 2016
The General Manager, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Lagos, Mr Adebayo Bamidele, has said that encouraging the inert creativity in children is key to overcoming the economic recession the nation is going through.
Bamidele stated this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Abuja.
He spoke against the backdrop of the recently-concluded NTA Children Educational Expo, where inventions and crafts made by children from schools all over the federation were showcased and prizes won.
According to Bamidele, our children are greatly gifted in both craft and science and only need the encouragement of teachers and parents to come out with invaluable tools to meet societal needs.
“Today, we are talking about science and technology that addresses issues of mechanisation, issues of integrated agriculture, issues of poultry, and issues of power either solar or renewable energy.
“So what I am saying in essence is this. We have come this far because the children themselves have become stronger and more intuitive, making things that can be adapted in our society.
“As if geared by what is happening in their environment, they have become more focused and they have learnt a lot more and they are displaying it all in their various schools.
“For those that their parents are well off, they should not overlook the talents in their children but try to build them up by investing in the projects that the children come up with even at the neighbour to neighbour level,’’ he said.
The general manager commended Nigerian teachers for helping their wards to come up with useful tools in spite of the limited resources at their disposal.
He called on those with the resources not to let the efforts of the young ones be in vain but to utilise them to lift the nation out of the prevailing economic recession.
“Indeed if you go to most of our schools. it will baffle you to see the things that students create, even from waste products around them.
“These products should attract the attention of the entire community including Small and Medium Scale Entrepreneurs and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN).
“Local and State Governments as well as the Federal Government should give necessary consideration to further development of the raw ideas of these prodigies,’’ Bamidele said.