The federal and the state governments have pledged to provide a better future for children through proper protection.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on behalf of the federal government and state governors who spoke during different speeches to mark this year’s Children’s Day, also urged them to shun bullying.
Tinubu unveiled sweeping reforms aimed at curbing bullying, cyberbullying, and other forms of violence against children in Nigerian schools, declaring that no child should be made to grow or learn in fear.
In his message on Tuesday commemorating the 2025 Children’s Day celebration, the President described Nigerian children as the “pride and future of our great nation” and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to protecting their rights, dignity, and dreams.
“This year’s theme, ‘Stand Up, Speak Up: Building a Bullying-Free Generation,’ could not have been more timely,” Tinubu said. “Violence, bullying, and neglect have no place in the Nigeria of today.”
Citing alarming statistics, the President disclosed that while more than one in three children globally experience bullying, up to 65% of Nigerian school-age children have reported facing physical, psychological, or social aggression.
“A child who learns in fear cannot learn well. A child who grows in fear cannot grow right. This is unacceptable,” he declared.
President Tinubu announced a series of targeted measures under the Renewed Hope Agenda to address the crisis, including fully implementing the National Plan of Action on Ending Violence Against Children (2024–2030). The plan outlines a comprehensive strategy to prevent abuse, prosecute offenders, and support victims, with robust financing and cross-sector collaboration.
The President also revealed plans for a comprehensive review of the Child Rights Act (2003) and the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (2015) to close existing gaps, expand protection for children, and ensure enforcement across all 36 states.
“We are leveraging the Cybercrime Act to protect children from cyberbullying, online exploitation, and abuse. Every Nigerian child deserves to feel safe — online and offline,” he said.
President Tinubu also launched a nationwide ‘See Something, Say Something, Do Something’ campaign to promote vigilance in homes, schools, and communities, calling on Nigerians to become child protection champions.
He acknowledged progress in child rights legislation, noting that all 36 states have domesticated the Child Rights Act, but said legal frameworks alone were not enough.
“We require a holistic approach where parents, teachers, caregivers, faith leaders, lawmakers, and citizens must take ownership,” the President stated.
Additional measures announced include expanding the Child Protection Information Management System (CPIMS) to enable real-time tracking of abuse cases, strengthening community-based child protection mechanisms by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, and integrating child safeguarding and social-emotional learning into teacher training programmes.
On education, Tinubu affirmed his administration’s commitment to inclusive learning through the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children and the development of school safety guidelines under the National Policy on Safety, Security, and Violence-Free Schools.
The President further disclosed investments in child and maternal healthcare, highlighting the scale-up of mother-and-child hospitals across the six geopolitical zones and creating a new Department of Nutrition to oversee child-focused programmes such as the Nutrition 774 Project and the School Feeding Scheme.
The Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, also the governor of Kwara State, pledged to continue to invest in quality education and basic healthcare and implement policies to make the world a better place for children.
He pledged in a statement he signed on the occasion of the 2025 Children’s Day celebration.
“As we commemorate Children’s Day across Nigeria today, I recommit myself to everything that gives the Kwara child a head start in life.
“Every child deserves to live and prosper in dignity, and this depends on all of us who they look up to. As a government, we continue to invest in quality basic education and basic healthcare, while implementing policies that make the world a better place for them.
“This is reflected in our commitments to basic education, child and maternal healthcare, anti-hawking stands, six-month paid maternal leave, child-protection laws, and other consistent efforts to give them an environment to compete in the digital age,” the governor said.
AbdulRazaq said his administration aligned with this year’s celebration theme: ‘Stand up, speak up: building a bullying-free generation’.
“Our premium KwaraLEARN gives us unfettered access to classrooms in every corner of the state. Similarly, we have since enacted the Violence Against Persons Law to protect every Kwaran, including children, from any form of violence. Our school children now have direct access to the highest level of education authorities in the state to protect their interests.
“While children-specific challenges continue to get our attention, I’m proud of the policy outcomes being recorded in the education sector as our empowered children lead their peers nationwide. Equally exciting is our standing nationwide in the under-five mortality rate, which is now the lowest.
“As our multi-pronged approaches to children’s welfare show, including the KwaraLEARN and education trust fund that we have recently established, I invite all stakeholders to do their bit in ensuring that the Kwara child thrives,” he added.
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