Master Ugochukwu Anthony SS2C from National College Gbagada has emerged as the winner of the Children’s Art Competition on Immunisation to commemorate the 2024 Children’s Day organized by at the Paediatric Association of Nigeria’s in Lagos.

Anthony scored 29 out of 40 points received a cheque of one hundred and fifty thousand.

Akinsanya Ibukuoluwa an SS 3 student from Igbobi College Yaba emerged as the as the first runner-up with 24 points, while Olawale Owonikoko emerged as 2nd runner-up with 23 points.

Other schools that participated in the Paediatric Association of Nigeria’s Children’s Art Competition on Immunization to commemorate Children’s Day in 2024 are Ireti Junior School, Methodist Girls High School, National College Gbagada, Lanre Awolokun School, Fountain Heights, Ifako Comprehensive Senior High School, Igbobi College, Lagos Progressive, Bishop Howells, and the Lagoon School.

Speaking on the choice of the theme “Investing in our Future means investing in our Children,” President of the Paediatric Association of Nigeria, Prof. Ekanem Ekure said: “Children are the future of any nation. Therefore, any effort to boost immunisation in children is securing the future of our nation. Coincidentally, the second phase of the human papillomavirus vaccination in Nigeria starts today in 21 states and will last for a week. This is for young girls aged 9–14 years to prevent cervical cancer and safeguard their future.”

She stated that traditional assessments miss a child’s creativity, adding that, they launched the competition to let children express the importance of immunisation through art.

Ekure said the children harnessed their creativity to express the importance of health and well-being through their beautiful artwork

In her keynote speech, Vice Chancellor UniLag Professor Folasade Tolulope Ogunsola said their role was to nurture the children to grow up and become responsible leaders.

Ogunsola who was represented by Professor Adebayo Babalola urged the children to grow up and become responsible adults.

In her presentation titled “Facts in Immunisation” Dr Iretiola Fajuolu, a paediatrician neonatologist and associate professor of paediatrics at the College of Medicine University of Lagos described immunisation as God’s gift to man.

“It is our corporate social responsibility and it is a way of getting ourselves protected from harmful disease. Immunization is a very viable tool to prevent infectious diseases. Vaccines have been made available for over thirty diseases, which are infectious diseases and what vaccines do.

Fajuolu said: “Our indexes are still very low. Ignorance is one major reason why our people do not go for vaccinations. So we need all hands on deck to educate people. We need the media to educate Nigerians on the importance of immunisation.

The government is doing a lot to make these vaccines available in conjunction with global partners who have vaccines available. The vaccines are expensive but some people have paid for them, it is a shame that we will have these vaccines and they are not being utilised, especially because the diseases that these vaccines protect against are deadly, they are the major killers of children. This year we have asked children to do artwork related to immunisation.”

Master Ugochukwu wins Art Competition on Immunisation in Lagos

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