Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has urged children across the state to reject all forms of bullying and promptly report such incidents to their teachers, guardians, and parents to foster a healthier society.
The governor, represented by Deputy Governor Noimot Salako-Oyedele, made this call during the 2025 Children's Day Celebration held at Oba's Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta. The event was organized by the Office of the First Lady in collaboration with the State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.
This year's celebration was themed 'Stand up, speak up, building a Bully Free generation,' highlighting the administration's focus on creating safe environments for children to thrive.
Governor Abiodun explained that bullying encompasses any repeated action that causes pain, fear, or humiliation to others, whether physical, mental, or emotional. He emphasized his administration's dedication to developing an education system that nurtures every child's mind, body, and spirit.
"Bullying should never be tolerated, but the underlying issues must also be addressed," the governor stated. He further revealed that mechanisms have been established to monitor and prevent all forms of bullying in schools across the state.
According to Governor Abiodun, the Ministries of Women Affairs and Education have been instructed to strengthen efforts through school policies, advocacy, legal enforcement, and public education to eliminate bullying from schools and communities, acknowledging that government efforts alone are insufficient.
Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Oludaisi Elemide, and Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Abayomi Arigbabu, in their goodwill messages, encouraged children to speak up against bullying, noting that both federal and state policies exist to combat this issue.
Adijat Adeleye, Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, described the year's theme as a call to action for parents, policymakers, teachers, and all stakeholders to defend the dignity of every child.
"It is an unrelenting thief of joy, a silent saboteur of dreams, and a smuggler of scars into souls too young to bear them. We must no longer whisper about it. We must confront it," Adeleye stated, referring to the damaging effects of bullying.
The commissioner advised parents and guardians to create homes where listening takes precedence over lecturing and where a child's silence triggers concern rather than punishment.
Student representatives Akindola Saidat from Ebenezer Grammar School, Iberekodo, and Ayanlowo Olagbenro from Brightway College, Abeokuta, pledged to become agents of change by supporting the government's anti-bullying initiatives and serving as good ambassadors of the state.
