Senate Urges African Children To Pursue Their Dreams

The Senate, through its Committee on Women Affairs, on Tuesday charged African children to hold on to their dreams despite the enormous challenges confronting societies across the continent.

This is even as the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) lamented that children constitute 75 per cent of victims of modern slavery in Africa.

The Senate’s admonition to children to hold on to their dreams came from the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs, Senator Ireti Kingibe (FCT, Abuja), during her speech at the 2026 International Day of the African Child celebration held at the National Assembly.

According to Kingibe, children are natural dreamers who dream big and, through societal support, hard work and determination, attain greatness.

“Hold on to your dreams of greatness. Don’t let anything or anyone stop you,” she said.

Speaking on the need for societal support, Kingibe assured the children, drawn from various secondary schools across the six Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), that their learning environments would be improved in line with the event’s theme.

“As envisioned by the theme of this year’s Day of the African Child, which is ensuring universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene for every child in Africa, your learning environments shall be improved with the provision of basic amenities, particularly water, which is life itself.

“Water, sanitation facilities, and clean and safe learning environments that you deserve shall be provided at all levels for the actualisation of your dreams,” she added.

In her goodwill message, the Director of Training and Manpower Development at the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Dr Ebele Ulasi, called for renewed commitment to protecting children and ensuring universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene across Africa.

Dr Ulasi commended the Senate Committee on Women Affairs for highlighting the importance of child welfare through this year’s theme: “Ensuring Universal Access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Every Child.”

She noted that millions of African children continue to face poverty, disease, limited access to education, human trafficking, child labour and child marriage, stressing that children account for about 75 per cent of victims of modern slavery in Africa.

Citing NAPTIP records, she said that by 2024, children constituted about 54 per cent of victims rescued by the agency, underscoring the urgent need for collective action to safeguard their rights and future.

The 2026 celebration featured an essay competition among participating schools on topics such as “Achieving Universal Access to Water and Sanitation is Essential for African Development” and “Is Lack of Awareness Responsible for Environmental Pollution?”

At the end of the competition, Government Secondary School, Kubwa, from Bwari Area Council, emerged first, while School for the Gifted, Gwagwalada, came second. Government Secondary School, Kwali, secured third position.