Stakeholders have declared that Nigeria is facing a child-welfare emergency, warning that worsening indicators in health, education, nutrition, water access, and child protection demand urgent and coordinated reforms.
At a symposium to mark World Children’s Day, representatives from UNICEF, government ministries, media executives, and civil society agreed that the country must intensify efforts to protect children amid growing insecurity and shrinking social services.
UNICEF Nigeria Representative, Ms Wafa Saeed, said Nigeria’s progress is real but slow, and at the current pace, the country will not achieve acceptable child-wellbeing outcomes or meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
According to her, vaccination rates have tripled, yet millions remain unprotected; birth registration has tripled, but significant gaps persist; many children suffer from severe malnutrition; violations against children in conflict-affected areas are increasing; learning outcomes remain poor despite higher school enrolment; and water and sanitation facilities are still grossly inadequate.
She said, “If you look at the last two decades, a lot of progress has been made. But if we continue at this rate, so many people’s lives will be lost. So many opportunities will be lost. And we have to do something different. We need to invest more. We need to scale up. We are in a better place because we have experience. We know what works, and we know that it can be done.”
President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Mr Eze Anaba, warned that Nigeria is in a “state of emergency” regarding children’s safety, education, and well-being, and called for a national emergency response to safeguard the future of Nigeria’s children.
He noted that rising school abductions pose a severe threat to Nigeria’s development and stressed the need for improved access to quality healthcare, education, and immunisation, backed by effective child-centred policies.
Anaba emphasised that the safety, education, and well-being of the country’s children are essential to its future and urged greater collaboration among legislators, parents, journalists, and other stakeholders.
The Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Lagos, Mr Michel Deelen, said many Nigerian schools lack roofs, water, sanitation facilities, and teachers, describing the situation as unacceptable.
Reaffirming the Netherlands’ support for UNICEF, he said, “As long as schools are not functioning the way they should without roofs, water, and teachers, we cannot say things are getting better. Education is the engine of national progress, and it must work everywhere in Nigeria.”
“The future is bright because the Nigerian child is brilliant and full of potential. Our responsibility, working with UNICEF and the government, is to help create the environment where that potential can truly flourish.”
Chairman of the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME), Mr Lanre Idowu, said that despite progress, Nigerian children remain vulnerable. He urged the media to move beyond episodic coverage and instead provide context, analysis, and human-centred reporting.
According to him, “The Nigerian child is vulnerable but unstoppable. It is our collective responsibility to protect them today and ensure their future security. The media must move beyond episodic reporting. We need deeper analysis, human-centred storytelling, and journalism that drives solutions, not just headlines.”
UNICEF Deputy Country Representative, Ronak Nkan, noted that children continue to experience wide disparities in access to basic services across states, pointing out that while nearly 90% of households in Lagos State have access to safe water, the figure is just 3% in Kebbi State.
She said Nigeria’s transformation will have a major impact on global development goals, including the SDGs, and that the country’s progress is critical to the world because of its size and influence in sub-Saharan Africa.
According to Nkan, transformative change in Nigeria will significantly shape global development outcomes. “If we achieve transformative progress in Nigeria, we change the world,” she said.
She stressed the need to ensure equal opportunities for every child, noting that no child chooses where they are born.
Nkan added that attention should not only focus on the long-term future of the Nigerian child but also on safeguarding their present, ensuring their physical, mental, and emotional well-being today.
