Celebrating Children’s Day in Nigeria

Today, May 27th, Nigeria celebrates her annual Children’s Day in line with the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Nigeria dedicates this day to celebrating children’s innocence, their creativity, potential, and as a matter of fact, their existence. The day acknowledges issues children face and works towards making the world a better place for them.

This year’s theme, “For Every Child, Every Right” is a powerful theme that resonates profoundly in our country as millions of children face numerous challenges that hinder their fundamental rights and ability to enjoy these rights.

Children’s Day was first celebrated in Nigeria to promote children’s welfare and well-being in the year 1964 and has since then become a yearly ritual. The day is often marked by parades, parties, fun fairs, and declaration of public holidays for children across the country.

The irony of this celebration in Nigeria is the stark reality that many children are denied their fundamental rights to life, protection, and basic means of survival. Amidst the cheers, it can be said that the 10.5 million children who have no access to basic education, the 7.6 million girls who have little to no access to education, or the 6 million children who are chronically malnourished won’t have a good day today. But does the celebration put them in context? These challenges present opportunities for change and progress.

Over the years, Nigeria has made significant progress in promoting children’s rights, including the establishment of the National Child Rights Law in 2003. However, as a country, we have much work to do to ensure that every child’s rights are respected and protected.

As we celebrate Children’s Day today, we must reaffirm our commitment to protecting and promoting the rights of every child through investment in education, healthcare, security, and other areas that can impact our children’s well-being. we must empower our children and ensure their rights are protected with utmost priority.

Nelson Mandela once said “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than how it treats its children” Children’s Day is a reinforcement of how special children are and we must make every day special because children are the future. Happy children’s day!