The Preacher began this year on January 5, 2016, working with Mandate Private Schools, Obadore, Lagos, under the exceptional leadership of highly esteemed Rev. & Rev.(Mrs.) Attah, establishing Child Rights/Protection and Childhood Preservation System. We surely had a good start and also gained membership into our iProtect Academy.

By mid-month, The Preacher was at the Annual General Meeting of the Office of Quality Assurance of Lagos State Ministry of Education, under the distinguished leadership of Mrs. Ronke SOYOMBO, preaching for 2 days, the gospel of Child Rights/Protection and CHILDHOOD PRESERVATION to her distinguished evaluators and principals within the public school sector.

In the last two Saturdays we have held our I’MDSSMARTTEESST Parents Forum and Appreciation Seminar…

Our first program was for parents of pre-teens and teens, who attended our I’MDSSMARTTEESST program in 2016…By the abundance of the discoveries we made in our interactions with those precious and innocent children, we felt it was critical to meet with their parents to share our findings and recommendations for immediate intervention for the best interest and protection of the precious children…Friends, things are happening…Please take it from me if I say things are happening…The age-long saying that ‘vigilance is the price of liberty’ has never been as relevant as today…

Our Appreciation Seminar ran in two fully attended sessions appreciating distinguished individuals and organizations, who found our solutions worthy enough to invest invaluable time and resources in same…This has become a yearly program, where we give to our distinguished and highly esteemed clients, what we consider as the best gift we could give to the best people in our lives, our clients.

At the Appreciation Seminar, I, The Preacher shared, Child Rights/Protection, CHILDHOOD PRESERVATION and Family Strengthening: The Taiwo AKINLAMI Way. From the response we received, it was uniquely original, practical and thereby helpful…Well, I am not surprised at the generosity of positive responses we were lavished, noting that it has taken me 20 years to figure out the Taiwo AKINLAMI Way as African Solutions to the protection of our precious African children, authored by an African.

Third week into the year, The Preacher has sat in the Child Protection Sub-Committee of the Lagos State Government, saddled with the onerous responsibility of advising the agencies of government on the implementation of the Executive Order on Child Protection, signed by His Excellency, Mr. Akinwunmi AMBODE on December 16, 2016 in pursuant to the Child Rights Law of Lagos State(2007).

I, The Preacher sat on the table to bring expertise to the drafting of the policy in dual capacity. First as a leading Subject Matter Expert and Secretary General of the Child Protection Network, Lagos State, an initiative of UNICEF. Having worked with the Lagos State government to develop the policy, which the Executive Order validated, I can testify to the thoroughness of the processes, which culminated in the promulgation of the Executive Order.

I, The Preacher considers as a major advancement in the cause of protecting our precious, this Executive Order, which makes Child Protection Policy compulsory for all private and public Child-focused organizations in Lagos State.

But does the promulgation of the Executive Order signal uhuru in matters relating to the protection of our precious children in Lagos State? I shall make a most passionate and professional attempt to do justice to this self-imposed task next week.

I hereby request to honorably take a bow, reminding you that Enlightenment is Superior to Enforcement. I charge you to Think the CHILD…Think the FAMILY…Think TODAY…Think the FUTURE…

(C) 2016 by Taiwo ‘ODINAKACHUKWU’ AKINLAMI…All Rights Reserved
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