The celebration began at the Saints Versiglia and Caravario Community in Ogungbade, where a high-level symposium brought together key stakeholders. Representatives from the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, the Zenith Bank Plc financial services institution, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the Public Complaints Commission were present for the occasion.
To discuss urgent systemic reforms, these institutions joined forces with the National Guidance Agency, the Federal Road Safety Commission, the Chairman of the Community Development Council of the Egbeda Local Government Area, the Association of Shelter and Home Operators of Nigeria – Oyo State Chapter, the Oyo State Child Protection Network, the Orphans and Vulnerable Children Association of Nigeria, the Nigerian Civil Defence Corps and the Oyo State Network of Parent-Teacher Association Presidents. The dialogue focused on the shift from punitive measures to protective frameworks for children living on the margins.
Following the theoretical discussion, on 11 April, the campaign moved directly onto the streets, where a moving procession took place. Led by a lively marching band comprising residents of the Child Protection Centre (CPC) and students from the Salesian postnovitiate, the procession wound its way from Gate to Mokola. The “Gospel of Protection” was shared both through the distribution of information leaflets and through charitable acts such as basic first aid, haircuts and the distribution of food to children in need.
“Every child counts”, emphasised the organisers, highlighting that the event was not merely a walk, but an invitation to recognise the intrinsic dignity of every young person as a child of God.
The Bosco Home Child Protection Centre in Ibadan operates in the tradition of the Salesian Family and is dedicated to the care, rehabilitation and empowerment of vulnerable and street children in Nigeria.
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