The Minister of Women Affairs Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, says investing in children is the only sustainable path to national transformation.
She stated this in a message to mark the 2025 Day of the African Child.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim expressed grave concern over the plight of millions of Nigerian children facing displacement, lack of access to education, and the pervasive issue of child marriage.
She revealed that over 10.2 million children remain out of school in hard-to-reach communities.
According to her, Nigeria faces a severe child marriage crisis, with approximately 44 per cent of girls married before the age of 18.
These vulnerabilities she said, are systemic signals that demand more inclusive, equitable, and responsive planning and budgeting processes.
Implications of Not Investing in Children
Sulaiman-Ibrahim who stressed that children are not statistical afterthoughts but strategic priorities, said it is no longer enough to draft policies in boardrooms.
She said authorities at all levels must ground its priorities in the lived realities of every Nigerian child, regardless of geography, gender, ability, or circumstance.
The minister warned that “Every naira not invested in child development leaves a void in our national destiny. Every oversight in planning has ripple effects across generations,”
The called on all ministries, departments, and agencies, as well as state and local governments, the private sector, civil society, and international partners, to realign priorities, reevaluate spending, and act with urgency, as investing in children is investing in national security, productivity, and prosperity.
“On this Day of the African Child, let our commitment be both spoken and lived. Let us plan with precision, budget with integrity, and act with urgency. Let us honour not just the memory of Soweto, but the promise of every Nigerian child,” She advised.
According to her, “when we protect children, we preserve hope. When we invest in children, we secure the future. And when we listen to children, we shape a Nigeria that is inclusive, just, and truly great,”
Day Of The African Child
The theme for the commemoration of the 2025 African Day of the Child is, ‘Planning and Budgeting for Children’s Rights: Progress Since 2010.’
The Day of the African Child (DAC) was launched by the Assembly of Heads of State of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1991 to be commemorated on 16 June each year.
The DAC pays tribute to the 1976 student uprising in Soweto, South Africa, which resulted in the killings of students who demonstrated against the poor quality of education they received and demanding to be taught in their own language by the apartheid regime.
Over the years, the Day has been an opportunity for all stakeholders and actors involved in the protection and promotion of children’s rights in Africa to come together, to consolidate common goals and to tackle the obstacles that stand in the way of achieving an Africa fit for its children
