By Ed Malik, A | ed@ddnewsonline.com | posted 26th May, 2025
On the occasion of the global children’s day celebrations, the engaging questions I dare to ask is: What is the status of the Nigerian child as at today? ‘Has Nigeria met the rights of children vis a vis their fundamental rights listed in the Child’s Rights Act?’ If you extrapolate the question, its context will include education, child labour, child marriage, genital mutilation and other connected requirements that captures right to fair treatment and dignity as a person.
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The fact is that, on policy initiatives written on paper, Nigeria has made significant strides in promoting the rights of children by enacting the Child’s Rights Act (CRA) 2003, which domesticated the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). But in real terms, there’s much to be desired. This is because the implementation and enforcement of the relevant articles remain inconsistent, and as such, Nigeria has not fully met the rights of children as outlined in the CRA.
For the purpose of this article, let me point out a few areas. In terms of legal framework, one can say there has been progress, especially acceptance by several states yet the implementation has not met with needed pollical will. As we know, the CRA guarantees fundamental rights for children, including the right to life, survival, development, education, protection from abuse, and freedom from discrimination. It mandates free, compulsory, and universal basic education and prohibits child marriage, child labour, and trafficking. At the federal and state levels, the articles have not been domesticated for effective implementation and monitoring.
It’s on record that about seven states, I think, mostly in the northern region, have not domesticated the CRA due to cultural, religious, and political resistance. In places where the Act has been adopted, law enforcement, judiciary, and welfare agencies often lack the capacity or political will to enforce children’s rights.
A major challenge in articulating and enforcing a child’s rights is poor official tracking mechanism because many violations go unreported, unreviewed and or, unpunished. The child labour is popular because it provides cheap labour and a significant number of children engage in hazardous work, particularly in illegal mining, agriculture, street vending, domestic servitude and even couriers to terrorists. This unavailing condition has given rise to other forms of abuses like sexual abuse, trafficking, domestic violence and early exposure to crime.
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Education would have been a bulwark against the problems of child rights but there exist so much disparities in entry levels commitment by state governments especially in the North Nigeria. Despite the law and enormous resources committed, millions of children, especially girls, are out of school due to insecurity, poverty, and cultural practices. Almajiri system persists with poor conditions and no standard oversight. In some these states, child marriage is not frowned at but encouraged as a customary or religious achievement.
In the North-East, the conflict and unabating insurgency of Boko Haram, banditry, and internal displacement have all united to deny many children access to education, safety, and healthcare.
So, to cut a long story short, while Nigeria has shown legislative commitment to the rights of children through the Child’s Rights Act, in real terms, the actual realization of these rights is far from complete. Until all states domesticate and effectively implement the Act, and there is a coordinated national effort to address poverty, insecurity, cultural barriers, and institutional weaknesses, Nigeria cannot be said to have fully met the fundamental rights of children as enshrined in the CRA.
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But I need to point out that the relative issues have not the taken the form of a Mount Kilimanjaro challenge yet, but rather, can fixed through a defiant political leadership that appreciates that the future belongs to the burgeoning children and lays the foundation blocks for sustainability.
We at DDNEWS identify and celebrate with Nigeria children on this day.
NOTE: Ed Malik is editor-in-chief of DDNEWSonline.com