Deteriorating conditions affecting children in Nigeria have reached a state of emergency, with millions of children pushed out of school due to insecurity, health crisis, and collapsing basic services, stakeholders warned.
Speaking at a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)-Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE)-DAME symposium in Lagos, themed: ‘Equipping the Nigerian child for the future: How prepared are we?’ NGE President, Mr Eze Anaba, said the country was facing a grave risk, with recent incidents of mass kidnappings, killings, and school raids turning learning centres into danger zones.
He criticised the growing trend of indiscriminate school closures by state authorities following isolated attacks, describing it as an unsustainable response that worsens educational exclusion.
UNICEF Nigeria representative, Ms Wafa Saeed, warned that millions of children across the country faced compounded vulnerabilities, ranging from acute malnutrition to lack of access to healthcare and learning.
She highlighted that three out of four 10-year-olds in Nigeria are unable to read and understand a simple passage, a learning crisis made worse by persistent insecurity and school disruptions.
“Nigeria has made progress over the last two decades, but at the current pace, it will take far too long to reach acceptable results. Too many children are still being left behind. We must accelerate efforts, particularly on routine immunisation, nutrition, quality education, and protection,” Saeed said.
Fresh data presented by UNICEF Deputy Country Representative, Ms Ronak Nkan, revealed extreme regional disparities.
While almost 90 per cent of households in Lagos have access to safe water, only three per cent do in Kebbi State.
She said UNICEF allocates resources strictly based on evidence, investing where the data tells us children are most deprived.
A representative of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Mrs Mariam Fitumi Shaibu, outlined the ongoing government interventions targeting out-of-school children, including the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) and the National Commission for Out-of-School Children, as well as new policies aimed at reducing school absenteeism among girls.
A senior editor and member of the NGE, Mr Ehi Braimah, raised the alarm over the scale of school closures across northern Nigeria, warning that insecurity was crippling children’s access to education.
Braimah urged governments to prioritise safe-school investments and expedite the domestication and implementation of the Child Rights Act, stressing that the country cannot afford to ignore the growing risks facing its youngest citizens.
Stakeholders at the forum agreed that safeguarding children requires a unified push across federal, state, and local governments, civil society, development partners, and the media.
