An education consultancy firm, Standard Mandate International (SMI), organised the event, during its School Prefects and Leaders Summit, held at the Main Auditorium, University of Lagos.
While giving the analysis of the result, the Managing Consultant of SMI, Nelson Ayodele, said over 600 pupils drawn from 60 public and private primary schools in the state participated in the one-day exercise.
Some of the schools include: Corona School, Straitgate School, Ketu, St Bernadette, Akoka, Toadel Private School, Okota, Ebenezer Montessori School, Agege, among others.
Ayodele called for the inclusion of leadership in the school curriculum to make beginners’ classes possible for children. He said the summit was essentially packaged for prefects in primary schools to raise their consciousness in the country’s leadership. “It is better to groom a child than repay an adult,†he said.
He said the vision was to constitute the children into a soft interest group and integrate them into a young leaders club, with affiliation with similar international organisations.
Explaining the conduct of the election, Ayodele said the pupils were given the freedom to make their choice, as no ballot papers suggesting names of candidates were issued.
“We just distributed papers to them to write down the name of the person they will like to become the president. It is an open secret balloting because they made their individual choices.
“Jonathan got the majority votes ahead of his fellow aspirant, Babangida. Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar came a distant third with six votes, while Muhammadu Buhari got two votes.
“Since there was no restriction on their choice of candidate, some of the pupils chose former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, Namadi Sambo, David Mark, Donald Duke, Chris Okotie, Bukola Saraki and Nuhu Ribadu.
Earlier, the pupils, through a voice vote, elected Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) to continue for a second term as the governor of the state.
Mr. Ayodele said an open forum between the pupils and governorship aspirants in the state would be organised next year to inspire the future leaders.
Aside the mock election, erudite scholars, including the Proprietor of Childville Schools, Yaba, Lady Gbeminiyi Smith, tutored the children on leadership skills and responsibilities.
