… Nigeria ranks second in highest climate risk for children
About 4.9 million children in Nigeria need urgent humanitarian assistance, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has reported. UNICEF in its 2024 State of Nigeria’s Children report said with children making up nearly half of Nigeria’s total population (110 million children), 1 in 2 children live in poverty.
The report also showed that 2.1 million children have never received any form of vaccination to prevent childhood diseases and the newborn mortality rate remains at 41 per 1000 live births.
Also, almost 70% of households lack access to safe drinking water, with 40% of children under 5 years of age being stunted. The report also said Nigeria has ranked second highest climate risk for children.
On Education, the situation report showed the total number of out-of-school children remaining at 18.3 million. A breakdown showed, 10.2 million children of primary school age and 8.1 million children of secondary school age are out of school. UNICEF reported that nearly 200,000 trained teachers are needed to address the extremely low teacher-student ratio.
Further, 73% of 7-to-14-year-olds cannot understand simple sentences, and 75% cannot do simple mathematics. According to the report, 90 per cent of children under 5 years experienced some form of violence.
Speaking on the report, Cristian Munduate, a UNICEF representative said Nigeria must increase its investments in health, education, and child protection. She said the budget allocated to education and health is below the international benchmark.
According to her, the prosperity of the Nation must start with children. “The prosperity of Nigeria should start with children. We must work together to ensure that our resources reach the most vulnerable children. We need to prioritize programs to address their needs, malnutrition, access to education, violence and health.
“And these are not just needs, these are lives. They are entitled at least to receive this basic so that they can develop, they can live and they can grow properly. This is a call to Action,” she said.
Atiku Bagudu, the minister of Budget and Economic Planning stated that the report will support sectoral planning to address the plight of Nigerian children, including vulnerable groups.
According to him, the government is sensitive to the plight of the children and the children are among their topmost priority.
“It is imperative to state that it is a national document that is intended to provide a timely and comprehensive series of data for all stakeholders involved in child development, highlighting the many varied and interrelated challenges faced by Nigerian children and stakeholders seeking to address these challenges.
It will also facilitate the development of effective interventions that are powerful tools to guide advocacy and ensure the advancement of the rights of children in the country. This is an opportunity for us to address the current realities of the time.
“Through accelerated economic growth, social protection programs, and investments in nutrition and maternal-child health, the government is committed to reducing child poverty and improving the lives of every child and adolescent in Nigeria.”
Tayo Aduloju, CEO, of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, described the situation as an existential crisis that requires great attention. According to him, there is no competitive future on economics, growth and development if the children are facing these challenges.
“The combination of schooling and learning poverty tells you the story, right? Because of the stunting, the human capital of the future is at risk.”
He pledged that the private sector will continue to work hard to help address the issues facing the children in Nigeria.
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