A human rights activist, Professor Yinka Olomojobi, has decried what he observed as reluctance to promote the rights of the child in Nigeria because it appears intangible and difficult to ascertain.
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He made the comment in Ikoyi, Lagos during the public presentation of his book titled, Human rights: Legal protection of children in Nigeria.

Olomojobi argued that the rights of children are more important because they are the building block of society and the next generation.

“I have authored many books on human rights but this one particularly would note that children have been neglected. The reason is not surprising because they are usually abstract and because they are vulnerable and dependent on adults. So, adults tend to look at human rights as belonging to them without looking at the other end, which are the children.

“It is important to look at the rights of children because they are the future of the country, the next generation. Children need welfare from adults, and protection from sexual abuse, child labour, and issues of vagrancy. In the northern part of Nigeria, we have a system of Almajiri where children do not have access to proper education.
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“It is clear, to an extent, that the inadequate standard of living of adults has indeed affected the rights of the child, leading to ubiquitous child poverty. Furthermore, due to the existence of primordial and traditional societal values, the wishes and desires of the child are subject to the approval of the adult. In this state, the child’s right to dignity and respect may be circumscribed.

“It is important to state that the child’s wishes and desires are of course subject to the parent and care giver in so far as the best interest of the child is paramount.

“In the next 50 to 100 years, most of us won’t be alive, but the children will be here so, it is important for us to uphold their rights and make them to understand the need to uphold the same right for generations after them, that is the essence of the book,” the professor explained.

According to Olomojobi, when making decisions for a child, the child should be consulted and one must underline the fact that it must be the best for the child.

“This book has been conceptualised on the rights of the child. The rights of the child have been cloaked under the broad rights of adults, notwithstanding the unique individual rights of children. The crux of this book is to illustrate that children have the same quantum of rights as adults. In other words, children’s rights are human rights as well as special rights, which are often referred to as child’s specific provisions. What is observed from our study is that the best interest of the child is a consistent variable throughout the 17 chapters of the book.”

The Manager of Books and Game Department at Quintessence Nigeria Limited, Jonathan Benson, said: “I love history a lot and for children to know their rights from a tender age is more like bringing back history.

“History has been abolished in Nigeria, history is something that every child must know. I see this book as an avenue for children to know their rights because there is a saying in the Bible; ‘Train up a child the way he should go and when he grows, he will not depart from it’. If we can train up this new generation who are the future of Nigeria to know their fundamental human rights, I believe that Nigeria will be in a better state compared to what it is now.
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