As concerns over child safety continue to rise across Nigeria, a non-profit organisation, SafeKids Consult, has highlighted the need to address critical lapses in child protection both at home and in schools.

According to alarming figures from the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 12,000 children and young adults aged one to 19 die each year from unintentional injuries. While Nigeria lacks robust domestic data, frequent reports of preventable school incidents underscore the urgency for proactive solutions.

Speaking at a Child Safety Outreach, themed, ‘Enabling the Guardians of the Digital Age,’ Child Safety Advocate and Founder, SafeKids Consult, Adejumoke Sangolana, said the organisation was committed to raising awareness and empowering communities to prevent negligence and digital abuse affecting the country’s most vulnerable – its children.

She noted that the Initiative was stepping in to fill the void, particularly in low and middle income schools that often lack basic safety infrastructure or access to professional risk assessment tools.

According to her, through its outreach programmes, the organisation offers a blend of safety training, digital education, and community engagement to reduce child vulnerability across physical and virtual spaces.

“This outreach was about helping schools and parents understand both the opportunities and the risks in today’s digital world. While technology has opened up the world for our children, it has also introduced new dangers, from online predators to emotional vulnerability,” she said.

Founder, QHSES Academy, Jamiu Badmos, an engineer, emphasised that child safety starts with systems and planning.

“We have lost children in Lagos to easily preventable accidents during school events simply because there was no emergency plan, no first aid, and no understanding of basic safety. Risk assessment and prevention must become standard practice in every Nigerian school,” he said.

Pioneer Director-General of the Lagos State Safety Commission, Dominga Odebunmi, highlighted the importance of digital literacy platforms like ‘AskPaddie’ to educate children in a safe, accessible manner.

“Nigeria must be a safer place. And we start by teaching our future generation how to value safety as a core life skill,” she said. The event also included first aid training for adults, school debates, and a quiz competition for students. It also launched ‘Sam Learns Safety’, its debut safety storybook, along with a related flash card series and dramatised play.

CEO of HSENations, Femi DaSilva, said: “Teaching safety from childhood builds habits that last a lifetime. SafeKids Consult is doing something special. Their events not only educate, they inspire real cultural change.”