Children’s Day Like No Other

It was a Children’s Day celebration with a difference. Hundreds of children of different ages gathered to have fun on their annual special day. This time, they did not converge at a mall or an over-crowded cinema viewing centre where they could face the risk of stampede as was the case at Spar Shopping Mall last year’s Christmas and Boxing Day. They were not at big eateries to eat fried rice and chicken and play with bouncing castles and other toys as was previously the case.
The venue of the memorable event was the newly  commissioned  Port Harcourt Pleasure Park on Aba Road. Gaining entrance into the venue was a herculean  task, especially for motorists who had to be on the queue for over an hour.  Expectedly, some people who could not stand the heavy traffic turned back and left. But for the larger number of people who were patient enough to wait for their turn to go in, and were able to struggle to obtain tickets to gain access into the park, the hassles were worth it.
Both the children and the adults were overwhelmed by the wonderful project, a masterpiece.  The creativity of its designers is second to none.  From the fountains to the artificial lake, from the mini golf course, to the green spots , to many other recreational facilities, it was obvious that it was a well thought-out and properly executed project. You could hear many bewildered parents exclaiming, “you mean a space like this has been in Port Harcourt? What a beautiful project!
The most excited people obviously, were the children many of whom have never seen such a natural recreational facility before. With the numerous play spots and gymnasiums, it was enjoyment all the way. The most thrilling thing was the boat ride. Virtually everybody wanted to have a taste of it. Unfortunately, the limited number of the boats deprived many from enjoying the 30 minute ride. That notwithstanding, the children still had quality good time to the extent that when it was time to go, it was a tug of war. Many of them did not want to leave the place. One child was crying and shouting “mummy I don’t want to go. I want to remain here”
Who wouldn’t want to remain in a natural, serene environment, devoid of noise, soot and other things that have made our environment very unhealthy?  Who wouldn’t like to be in an environment where he can interact with nature and ease tension that has become our lot in this part of the world? The importance of parks and recreational facilities cannot be over-emphasised. It has been established that direct exposure to nature has great benefits on mental health, reducing stress and increasing happiness. Being outside and playing in the nature is crucial for the healthy development of children. Incidentally, many schools, especially private schools in Nigeria do not provide such an opportunity for the children, likewise many homes where children are confined in the limited space in their apartments.  They hardly have opportunity of playing outside.
A recent research has confirmed that deepening our relationship with the natural world has tremendous personal benefits that ripple positively out to every facet of society. Our youth today are involved in all kinds of crime, alcoholism, drug abuse and deadly cult activities.  There are daily cases of cult-related activities in our various communities. Many of them have claimed several lives and valuable property. Surprisingly, behavioural  psychologists have blamed these social problems among the youth largely on lack of recreation. They say increasing the number of parks and recreational facilities in a neighbourhood  can reduce crime rates, especially among youth. By giving young people a safe place to interact with one another, you keep them off the streets and out of trouble. The same thing goes for adults. Senior citizens and other adults can relax in the park, breathing in fresh air, thereby  relieving them from work, emotional, psychological and environmental stress.
Does this  make them healthier and more productive? The answer is yes.
So, contrary to the opinion of some critics who see the huge investment on the Port Harcourt Pleasure Park as a waste of resources, it is indeed a visionary project which will help to change the mindsets and unbecoming attitude of our young ones, and help in transforming them into useful individuals both for themselves, their families and the state.
Most importantly, this is probably the only project executed by government in recent times which impacts directly on the children.  Billions of naira have been spent on road construction, housing , hospitals and all that. The question is, which of these projects give instant joy and satisfaction to the kids? Even free education in public primary schools cannot be said to be directly beneficial to the children as it is the duty of the parents to train their children.  So the non-payment of school fees is a relief to the parents not the kids.
So, I refuse to join the few voices that say the money for the Pleasure Park should have been invested in the agricultural sector, it should have been used to offset promotion arrears of civil servants, construct more roads, provide accommodation for workers, tackle insecurity and others. In as much as all these are important and deserve urgent attention, I will rather join those that say thank you Mr Project for remembering our children .It is indeed a legacy by your administration. Rivers children will no doubt remember Governor Nyesom Wike as the man who made 2017 Children’s Day celebration exceptional for them.
Our wish is that the project will be handed over to the right park managers that will ensure its adequate maintenance so that it does not go the way of other projects , especially those managed by the government.

 Calista Ezeaku