Shaping the Future of Nigerian Children through Value-based Learning, Character Development – THISDAYLIVE

Nigeria’s foremost etiquette specialist, author, and social development advocate, Etienying Akpanusong, popularly known as Lady Eti, recently launched a bold new educational initiative aimed at shaping the values, character, and social intelligence of the next generation of Nigerian children. Uzoma Mba reports

Nigeria’s leading etiquette specialist, author, and social development advocate, Etienying Akpanusong, popularly known as Lady Eti, has unveiled yet another groundbreaking educational project aimed at shaping the future of Nigerian children through value-based learning and character development.

Teaching Life Skills through Storytelling

The book series titled The Etiquette Adventure is a children’s etiquette storybook collection designed to teach young readers essential life skills including civility, confidence, hygiene, communication skills, emotional intelligence, empathy, cultural respect, sportsmanship, leadership, and social refinement in an engaging and relatable format.

The official unveiling took place on Monday, May 18, 2026, during the National Caregivers Summit 2026 held at the National Centre for Women Development, Abuja.

The summit was hosted in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and Etiquette Africa as part of activities commemorating the 2026 National Children’s Day celebration under the theme: “Future Now: Promoting Inclusion in Every Nigerian Child.”

Stakeholders Rally Behind Child Development

The landmark event attracted dignitaries and stakeholders from across the education, development, and social impact sectors including representatives of UN Women, UNICEF, Caring Africa, educators, caregivers, school administrators, and members of Etiquette Africa Clubs from government schools across the Federal Capital Territory.

The book was officially unveiled by the  Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, who commended Lady Eti and the entire Etiquette Africa team for their consistency and commitment towards promoting values, civility, refinement, and intentional child development across Nigeria.

In her remarks, she emphasised the importance of strengthening the care economy and advancing inclusive child development through intentional caregiving, value reorientation, and social education.

She noted that initiatives such as The Etiquette Adventure strongly align with the Ministry’s vision of building a more inclusive and responsible generation of Nigerian children.

She further appreciated the members of Etiquette Africa Clubs present at the summit and applauded Etiquette Africa Initiative for its immense contribution towards instilling positive values and life skills in children and teenagers across the nation.

Also present at the summit was the wife of the Minister of Defence, Mrs. Oghogho Musa, alongside development partners, teachers, caregivers, government representatives, and advocates for child development and social inclusion.

Beyond Storybooks: Building Character and Confidence

Speaking during the unveiling, Lady Eti described The Etiquette Adventure as more than a storybook series, but a transformational educational tool created to help children build character, confidence, emotional intelligence, social awareness, and respectful behavior from an early age.

According to her, the project was inspired by the urgent need to intentionally nurture a more refined, compassionate, disciplined, and socially responsible generation of African children.

Expanding the Reach of Etiquette Education

Over the years, Lady Eti has continued to establish herself as one of Nigeria’s foremost voices in etiquette education, youth refinement, and human capital development through her work with Etiquette Africa and ETI Global Academy. 

Through school outreaches, advocacy campaigns, media engagements, and youth development initiatives, she has impacted thousands of children and young people across Nigeria with transformational life skills and refinement education.

Undoubtedly, the unveiling of The Etiquette Adventure marks another major milestone in the ongoing mission to promote civility, social excellence, and holistic child development in Africa.