There has been an increasing demand for African nations such as Nigeria to enhance their healthcare systems focusing on maternal care, infant health, and child welfare. Additionally, these calls emphasize improvements in economic metrics like GDP growth along with addressing various forms of social injustice.
This appeal for action aims to tackle the increasing problems of malnutrition and violations of child rights, particularly disparities in education, which can ultimately result in cognitive impairments among children.
Seven percent of pregnant women and seven percent of women who are of reproductive age suffer from acute malnutrition. Just 17 percent of infants are exclusively breastfed during the first six months of life, a statistic that has not changed much in the past ten years. Only 18 percent of infants between the ages of six and 23 months receive the most basic nutrition.
Despite worldwide alerts highlighting that hunger poses a significant developmental challenge threatening a nation’s future and economic output, the funding for nutritional programs remains inadequate and consistently late at every level.
The complete enforcement of the Child Rights Act has been hindered by the deliberate establishment of legal or policy barriers in numerous states across Nigeria.
Clearly, significant steps must be taken to tackle unresolved problems that harm Nigerian children’s cognitive and physical growth, ultimately affecting their potential for successful futures.
This encompasses their entitlements to proper nutrition and schooling, as outlined in the Child Rights Act. Denying them these provisions can have severe consequences for children—especially girls—who would otherwise gain valuable skills, secure better job opportunities, and make significant contributions to national progress, which is also deeply concerning.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) office in Nigeria reports that there are 10.5 million children who do not attend school, with 40 percent of these being between the ages of six and eleven. Among them, many girls do not enroll in primary education.
Based on UNICEF reports, insufficient nutrition and education are the primary factors contributing to the violation of children’s rights in these areas.
UNICEF reports that unfortunately, 10.5 million Nigerian children are out of school, with 40% of these being girls between the ages of six and eleven, primarily from Northern regions.
UNICEF reports that although the education crisis impacts children throughout Nigeria, girls, children with disabilities, and kids from the most impoverished families are being disproportionately affected.
Other children significantly affected by this educational challenge encompass those living on the streets, those who have faced displacement or natural calamities, and those residing in distant locations.
Sadly, millions of children in Nigeria have yet to set foot inside a classroom. Even more alarming is the significant number of students who start primary schooling but fail to progress to secondary education, thereby shattering their hopes for a secure future. Estimates suggest that approximately 35% of Nigerian pupils completing primary school do not continue with their secondary education.
Cristian Munduate, who serves as the UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, made these remarks recently in a statement commemorating the International Day of Education.
Recently, Cristian Munduate, the UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, conveyed this message in an address commemorating the International Day of Education.
Munduate emphasized the importance of giving girls access to schooling so they can receive a formal education that addresses gender inequality. “It’s crucial to nurture their creativity and uniqueness,” she added, noting that every female has valuable contributions to make toward solving Nigeria’s challenges. Munduate further stated that ensuring students’ safety at school is essential. She highlighted that no child should feel scared about entering a classroom due to fears of attacks or abduction. The UNICEF representative also mentioned that parents shouldn’t hesitate to register their children for school, nor should they worry about sending them off.
Similarly, scholars have underscored the significance of broadening educational access for every child in Nigeria and eliminating disparities in both enrollment and performance within education.
They similarly condemned Nigeria’s present policies for their inadequacy in addressing serious acute malnutrition amongst young children under five years old. This condition manifests as stunting, wasting, underweight, obesity, and reduced productivity.
To foster children’s growth and development, they have pushed for transformative policy reforms and thoughtful advocacy efforts across various tiers.
Fostering a safe and sustainable tomorrow for Nigerian children via specialized programs and initiatives, along with a focused strategy, holds equal importance.
They emphasized again that now is the appropriate moment to enforce current nutrition strategies, such as the National Policy on Food and Nutrition.
Likewise, it is essential to implement holistic strategies for both preventing and addressing severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and ensure sufficient budget allocations, cash support, and timely disbursement of nutrition funds.
Experts assert that enhancing food accessibility, availability, and affordability across all levels necessitates urgent and substantial legislative oversight of budgetary allocations for agriculture, nutrition, and the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
As a result, all states were encouraged to adopt and enforce the Child Rights Act. This legislation mandates that each child receives compulsory and universal free basic education. Additionally, parents or guardians must ensure that their children or wards complete both primary and junior secondary schooling.
Enhanced accessibility to education, the elimination of disparities in educational enrollment, and greater public understanding of the provisions within the Child Rights Act have become pressing national issues. Nigeria must now adopt thorough plans to combat severe acute malnutrition and guarantee adequate funding, financial support, and timely disbursement of resources allocated for nutritional needs.
Provided by Syndigate Media Inc. (
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