2024 World Orphans Day: FCTA calls for special attention to orphans

By Chioma Nnodim

Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, has called on the residents of the FCT to give special attention and show kind treatments, care and love to orphans, as Nigeria joins the rest of the World to mark the 2024 World Orphans Day.

This was made known by the Mandate Secretary of FCT Women Affairs Secretariat, Dr. Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, during a visit to various Orphanage Homes in Abuja, Saturday; reiterating that it is pertinent to give special treatment to Orphans because they deserve to live a fulfilled life just like every other human being on earth.

During her visit to Monoliza Amusement Park at Area 11, Abuja, Benjamins-Laniyi said orphans are expected to be taken out to have fun just like every other child, which will help them feel that they belong to the society and have every right to live a free life without segregation.

While explaining more reasons she took the orphans out to have fun, Benjamins-Laniyi said that the lives of orphans in the FCT matters a lot and they are precious to the Administration.

The Mandate Secretary revealed that the FCT Administration has already embarked on a holistic process of reassessing, reviewing and recertifying all Orphanage Homes in FCT, for the purpose of repositioning them for better service delivery.

Her words: “Today is World Orphans Day and the Theme is ‘Orphans Lives Matter’. Therefore, our message is that the lives of orphans in the 62 Wards of the 6 Area Councils of the FCT matter. They don’t just matter, but they matter to us in terms of policy drive to domesticate laws guiding the rights of the child.”

She disclosed that, creation of FCT Women Affairs Secretariat is an expression of an action that would reassess and review the operations of Orphanage Homes in the FCT, aimed at recertifying them to do better. In the cause of the celebration, Benjamins-Laniyi interfaced with orphans at the Redeemed Christian Church, RCC, in Abuja, where orphans were gathered and mentored on morality, self esteem, goals setting, integrity and to be optimistic in life irrespective of their present situation.

It could be recalled that World Orphans Day is celebrated on 20th of April every year, to draw global attention to the plights of orphans, and to give special opportunity to high-spirited individuals and charitable organizations, to identify with orphan, Worldwide.