The body of Paediatric Association of Nigeria in commemorating the 2024 Children’s Day anniversary in Lagos concluded a keenly contested School Arts competition on immunisation.

The contestants who were drawn from both public and private secondary schools in Lagos not only participated in the competition but also exhibited an unquantifiable creative gifts and talent in the sphere of arts.

Professor Dr. Mrs EkanemEkure, the current President of Paediatric association of Nigeria while delivering her keynote address and also strongly touching on the theme of the event, “Investing in our future means, investing in our children”, aptly described children as the future of any nation, stating that every effort made to boost immunisation in them will ultimately lead to the securing of the future of our nation.

She also went further to explain that Nigeria has the highest rate of un – vaccinated children in the world consequent upon which they are dying from diseases that simply can be prevented, even as thegovernment has already made the vaccines available and free for use.

According to her, “the statistics of children who had received all the vaccines in theEPI schedule of 2021 is still insignificantly 23 percent”, which is considered to be at the low ebb, lending voice also as to why our under five mortality rate is so high.”

Sadly enough she described urban slums, conflict zones, remote territories and hard-to-reach communities as areas that areconsistently prone to attacks.

Coincidentally, it was revealed by Ekure that the second phase of of the human papilovina virus vaccination in Nigeria has started and will lasts for a week only for girls within the ages of 9-14 years. This is to prevent cervical cancer and safeguard the future.

While bringing the joy and excitement of the children up to speed, the final draw of the school arts competition as concluded was announced, paving the way for Messers Ugochukwu Anthony of National College Gbagada to emerge 1^stin the positions with a star price award of a Hundred and fifty thousand naira,(#150’000) while the second position went to Akinsanya Ibukunoluwa of Igbobi College Yaba who received a hundred thousand naira (#100’000) prize award, leaving the third position for another greatly talented artist Olawale Owonikoko of Lanre Awolowo High School,Gbagada finally with a fifty thousand naira(#50’000) prize award.

•PHOTO: Professor Dr. Mrs EkanemEkure, the President Paediatric Association Of Nigeria,delivering her keynote address at the recently concluded Creative Arts Competition for secondary schools in Lagos tagged “immunisation”.