The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has expressed concern that millions of children in Northern Nigeria remain out of school, with girls facing greater disadvantages due to entrenched cultural, economic and social barriers that hinder school completion.
The Chief of UNICEF Field Office in Kano, Mr. Rahama Rihood Mohammed Farah, disclosed this in a keynote address at the 2026 International Day of Education (IDE) commemoration held in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital.
Farah identified poverty, insecurity, harmful social norms and limited educational resources as major factors weakening learning outcomes and eroding the aspirations of children across the region.
The event, which drew stakeholders from UNICEF-supported states including Kano, Katsina and Jigawa, was held under the theme, “The Power of Youth in Co-Creating Education.” UNICEF stressed the need to place young people at the centre of discussions on shaping the future of education by 2030.
While acknowledging progress recorded in some parts of Northern Nigeria, Farah urged youths to take a leading role in transforming the country’s education system, describing education as a fundamental right, a source of hope and the foundation of sustainable national development.
Addressing government officials, development partners, educators, parents, media practitioners and youths, Farah said education remains the strongest weapon for breaking cycles of hardship and building a future where every child can thrive with dignity.
“Education is not just a service; it is a right, a beacon of hope and the foundation of every strong society,” he said. “It is what gives every child—girl or boy the freedom to dream, to contribute meaningfully to their communities and to walk with pride.”
According to him, young people are demanding an education system that is relevant, inclusive, safe and empowering one that inspires creativity, motivates learning and leaves no child behind.
“They want classrooms that ignite imagination, teachers who inspire, and systems that catch every child,” Farah noted.
“Education must go beyond textbooks to equip children with life skills, digital competence, critical thinking and the confidence to shape their own future.”
He added that the International Day of Education should not only be a moment of reflection, but a call to renewed commitment and collective action.
“At UNICEF, we remain firmly committed to supporting governments and communities in Kano Field Office states to strengthen education systems, improve learning environments, promote adolescent development and ensure access to quality education for every child,” he said.
Farah emphasised that investing in education yields far-reaching dividends, noting that educating a child uplifts a family, educating a girl strengthens a community, and sustained investment in education lays the foundation for peace and sustainable development.
He also commended development partners, community and traditional leaders, teachers, civil society organisations and youths driving initiatives such as the Youth-Led Education Lab.
“Your voices matter. Your ideas matter,” he told the youths. “You are not only the leaders of tomorrow; you are partners today, shaping history.”
As the IDE 2026 celebration drew to a close, the UNICEF chief urged stakeholders to renew their collective resolve to ensure that every child in the Northwest and across Nigeria whether in urban centres or rural communities has the opportunity to learn, grow and succeed.
“Let us keep faith in the transformative power of education,” he said, wishing all stakeholders a successful International Day of Education 2026.
UNICEF has released a statistic so damning it should halt governance as usual across Northern Nigeria. As of late 2024, Nigeria now carries the grim distinction of having the highest number of out-of-school children in the world – 18.3 million. That is one in every five out-of-school children globally. But the real tragedy lies in the geography of this failure. According to UNICEF’s June 2025 Humanitarian Situation Report, 45 percent of these children live in the Northwest and 28 percent in the Northeast. In other words, 73 percent of Nigeria’s educational catastrophe is concentrated above the Middle Belt.
In states like Yobe, 43 percent of children never attend school. Zamfara follows with 41 percent and Sokoto with 37 percent. A Universal Basic Education Commission study confirms that two-thirds of Nigeria’s out-of-school children live in the Northeast and Northwest. These are not marginal numbers; they represent a civilisational emergency.
One would reasonably expect governments facing such statistics to channel every available kobo into classrooms, teachers, textbooks, and safe learning spaces. Instead, northern budgets tell a different story, one of misplaced priorities, moral confusion, and fiscal recklessness. The house is on fire, yet the budgets are busy buying scented candles.
In December 2025, the Kebbi State government approved N10 billion to subsidise 1,300 Hajj seats for the 2026 pilgrimage. Each seat costs about N7.6 million. This single decision consumed 59 percent of the state’s total 2024 revenue and over 71 percent of its internally generated revenue for the first nine months of 2025.
To put this in perspective, Kebbi allocated just N86 million for capital spending in its Ministry of Water Resources, N2 million for boreholes, and N20 million to build a clinic. That same N10 billion could have funded 5,000 boreholes, 500 health centres, or furnished 1,300 schools. Instead, it was spent ensuring no pilgrimage seat was “wasted.”
Kebbi’s Pilgrims Welfare Agency praised the governor’s “foresight.” Yet Kebbi remains one of the states with the worst school attendance figures in Nigeria. The irony is brutal.
Kano State’s 2025 budget, totalling N719.75 billion, earmarked N2.5 billion for quarterly mass weddings across all 44 local governments. By October 2025, the Hisbah Board planned weddings for 2,000 couples, complete with medical screening and official ceremonies.
Meanwhile, Kano allocated N955 million merely to count out-of-school children, less than half of what it spent marrying people off. Another N1 billion went to Ramadan feeding and N267.6 million to Islamic calendar production, Da’wah programmes, and welfare packages for new converts.
In July 2025, Kano received N26.6 billion from FAAC. Its N8 billion Ramadan feeding budget alone consumed nearly a third of that monthly allocation. The children who never make it to school are evidently not considered as urgent as feeding adults during fasting periods.
Katsina State’s 2025 budget turned religion into a full-scale industry. The Pilgrims Welfare Board received N4.58 billion, while the Ministry of Religious Affairs got N4.79 billion. Add allocations to Hisbah, Zakat boards, and N2.3 billion for Ramadan food, and you have a religious governance structure worth billions of public money, not private charity.
Across northern states, over N16 billion was approved in a single cycle for Ramadan palliatives: Kano N8 billion, Jigawa N4.8 billion, Katsina N2.3 billion, and Sokoto N1.28 billion. These are not emergency donations; they are permanent budget lines.
Zamfara went further, approving N1 billion for the construction of an Emir’s Palace and N550 million for “special days and celebrations.” In states where children learn under trees, or not at all, palaces rise and festivals flourish.
The security vote black hole
If religious spending raises eyebrows, security votes demand outrage. In just nine months of 2025, 14 northern states released N56 billion as security votes, opaque funds spent at governors’ discretion, without audits or public scrutiny.
Borno alone released N32 billion, more than twice its July FAAC allocation. Yobe released N5 billion, Adamawa N4.5 billion, Nasarawa N4.39 billion, Katsina N3.1 billion, Jigawa N2.4 billion, and Kebbi N1.49 billion. Several states, including Kano, Bauchi, Niger, Plateau, and Sokoto, did not even disclose their figures.
Transparency International describes security votes as “cancerous tumour” in Nigeria’s budgets. Nationally, over $670 million is spent annually on these votes, more than the combined budgets of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Yet insecurity worsens.
Between May 2023 and May 2024, 2.2 million Nigerians were kidnapped, mostly in the North. In late 2025 alone, 315 students and 13 teachers were abducted in Niger State, while 26 schoolgirls were taken in Kebbi, states awash with security votes.
What the children never asked for
Northern Nigeria holds 73 percent of Nigeria’s out-of-school children, yet consistently prioritises pilgrimages, mass weddings, palaces, religious bureaucracies, and secret security funds over education. Female net attendance in the Northeast and Northwest hovers around 47 percent. Over 800 schools remain closed, hundreds destroyed or damaged.
This is not a failure of religion or culture. It is a failure of governance and moral clarity. Every N10 billion spent on pilgrimage seats, every N2.5 billion on mass weddings, every opaque security vote is a choice, a deliberate statement of what matters.
UNICEF puts it plainly: “It is our shared responsibility to keep our children safe in schools.” Northern governors have chosen otherwise. They have found a formula for political comfort: keep adults spiritually appeased, ceremonially married, and rhetorically secured while the future quietly collapses.
There is a fire in the house. And until education becomes the first line in northern budgets, not an afterthought, no amount of prayers, weddings, or security votes will put it out.
Anambra State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (ASPHCDA) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have assured parents and caregivers of the safety of their children ahead of the Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign in the state.
The bodies gave the assurance during a media engagement meeting by the State Ministry of Health in collaboration with ASPHCDA and Partners for the upcoming Measles-Rubella Vaccine Introduction.
Executive Secretary of ASPHCDA, Pharm. Chisom Uchem said the vaccination which would run from February 4 to 15, 2026 would involve children from 9 months to 14 years.
She said the media engagement was to ensure accurate information and necessary knowledge about the vaccination was disseminated across the state.
While allaying fears of perceived dangers associated with the vaccination, Uchem stressed that the vaccines which would be administered by trained and licensed health practitioners are not just free but safe and effective.
She said, “We all were vaccinated during our childhood days and we’re still alive till today. Obviously, we can’t give our children what’s not good for them because their health is our primary concern.
“Besides, it’s only those who are alive that can go to school and do other businesses,” she noted.
Social and Behavior Change consultant, UNICEF, Victor James said health and wellness of citizens, especially the children has remained the priority of the agency being the future of the state.
He expressed satisfaction with the number of stakeholders at the meeting, describing their presence as indication of importance they accord to the exercise.
“It should not be heard that any child is lost to measles and rubella as God has given us wisdom to avert certain diseases, especially the avoidable and preventable ones,” he added.
Also speaking, State Health Educator, Uju Onwuegbuzina assured that health teams would visit healthcare centres, churches, schools and mosques during the vaccination for comprehensive and coordinated coverage.
Pharm Okonkwo Obunike, from National Primary Health Care Development Agency assured her organization’s continued advocacy on access to healthcare and support to the state in its efforts to achieve accessible healthcare.
Ignorance, cultural, spiritual beliefs spread resistance to children’s vaccination
Nigeria’s record as country with highest challenge of zero dose children globally sparks concerns
Vaccination helps safeguard children’s health all over the world. But over the years, the lifesaving invention has continued to experience disturbing resistance not just among rural populace but also among urban dwellers who avoid it like a plague. Nigeria, with 2.2 million cases is home to the largest number of zero-dose children in the world, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The federal and state governments may need to embark on aggressive mobilization and sensitization, including introducing some incentives as Kano State is said to have started, to encourage more parents to present their children for vaccination. INNOCENT DURU reports.
Trouble broke out in Seme area of Lagos State during the week when health officials visited some schools in the area to administer vaccines to the pupils.
From the gates of the various schools, the health workers got more than they bargained for. They were seriously quizzed and angrily turned back.
“The schools didn’t allow them to give any vaccines to the pupils because they feared that if anything should go wrong, it is the school that the parents will hold responsible,” a resident who gave his name simply as Michael said.
“The schools said if they want to give vaccines to the children, they should go to their houses to do that with the consent of their parents and not in the schools which risk serious penalties and possible closure if anything goes wrong,” he added.
There are palpable fears among some people in the community that vaccines could trigger health crises for their children in future. Chief among the fears is that vaccines are formulated to reduce the population of Nigeria by affecting the people’s reproductive abilities.
Unfortunately, people who choose not to vaccinate their children also put others at risk should such children fall ill.
Local government authorities in Seme got wind of the treatment meted out to the health officials, stepped in and thus saved the pupils from possible health crises in the future.
An official of the local government Olumide Julius, while confirming the development, blamed it on poor communication to the concerned schools.
His words: “Some schools turned back health workers giving out vaccines because they claimed that they were not officially informed about it by the authorities.
“The matter was reported to me and I had to go there and address the schools and encourage them to take it. The schools promised to allow the children to take the vaccines the following day if they should come and they did that. ”
He said the schools feared that being located in the border community, anybody might come and administer anything.
“The problem is not really from the schools. It was the parents who advised them not to allow their children to take vaccines. When the information got to me, I told the schools to volunteer the contact details of such parents so that I could call and speak with them. I did just that and they agreed that their children should take the vaccines.”
He observed that some of the vaccine resistant parents are from the north and “they just settled here in Zongo part of Seme. They were said to have previously attacked teachers for allowing their children to be given vaccines. They resisted it because they didn’t want anything that would cause havoc. Part of their fears is that the vaccines will not allow them to have more children in the future and that some of them may not be able to have children again. They feared that there was plan to reduce the population of Africa.
I gave them the assurance that no evil will befall their children after taking the vaccines and they agreed,” the official said.
To prevent a reoccurrence, he said: We are planning a meeting with the northern communities, and the concerned schools. We will do a jingle in Hausa language, and Egun language. Some people from Benin Republic come here for business and when their children come here they send them to school. The Beninoise who come to Nigeria do say that the vaccines in Nigeria is different from the one in Benin Republic. They always claim that the one in Benin Republic is the original and the ones given in Nigeria is fake. That is their mentality. By the time we explain to them, their mind set will change.
But the fear of vaccines is not confined to Seme and other rural parts of Lagos State.
It is a general challenge across the state and the records show that the state has one of the highest cases of zero dose children.
For instance, Alimosho Local Government Area (LGA), according to the United Nations Children’s Fund, (UNICEF), had over 35,000 zero-dose children in 2021, the highest number of any LGA in Nigeria.
“Kosofe, had nearly 17,000 zero-dose children in 2021. It also had around 17,162 partially immunized children, the second highest number for an LGA in Lagos State,” UNICEF said.
Zero-dose children are those who are without any routine vaccination or are lacking the first dose of diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis–containing vaccine. Based on global estimates from the World Health Organization/United Nations Children’s Fund in 2022, Nigeria has the highest number of zero-dose children, with 2.3 million unvaccinated.
Before now, Permanent Secretary Lagos State Primary Health Board, Dr Ibrahim Akinwumi Mustapha had told our correspondent how some of their vaccinators were beaten and harassed in some communities.
“Like you rightly noted, before now, around early and mid-November, the schools, community members even beat our vaccinators. The schools shut their doors against us. Community members rejected us vehemently in the early days, but now it is getting better to the extent that some schools are the ones calling us to come and vaccinate their pupils. The rejection is going down and we are vaccinating more now, but it is still not what we want.”
Dr. Ibrahim noted that the state government was spending a lot on vaccines, adding: “It is not just the state government; the federal government and their partners, like WHO and UNICEF, are spending a lot to ensure that our people get the vaccine.”
He could not put a figure to the amount spent on the vaccine, but be said it was “a huge sum.”
The challenge is not different in parts of Bayelsa State where parents also shield their children from taking vaccines.
Although, it appears that more parents are now disposed to having their children be vaccinated, Noel Ikonikumo, the head of fishermen in Sangana area of the South south state said: “many people had unpleasant experiences taking vaccines in the past.
“In the past, vaccines were given in the form of injection. That caused serious health crises for many people. Some in my village even had challenges walking.
“Now that they have modernized it and are administering it orally, many people still have fears that it can cause a health crisis for them.
“You know this is a rural setting. Some still don’t allow their children to take it but sometimes, the health workers meet the children on the way and administer the vaccines to them without waiting for the approval of their parents.”
75 percent of Bauchi IDP camp not vaccinated
Online search shows that North West and North East states have the highest percentages of zero-dose children.
This much was confirmed when our correspondent reached out to the camp of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Tirwun area of Bauchi Local Government.
The Chairman of the IDPs, Buba Musa Sheu said 75 percent of the children are not vaccinated.
“We are about 66,921. Children are about 20,000. About 75 percent of our children don’t have access to the vaccines,” he said.
Explaining why such a high figure of children are not vaccinated, Buba said: “We don’t always see people giving vaccines. Everybody wants the children to take the vaccine but the problem is that we are not seeing the people that are giving it.”
He regretted that “our children are always having measles, diarrhea and other challenges just like in other places in Nigeria. We have children dying but we don’t know the causes.”
Ruling out resistance from any member of the community, he said: “If they (health officials) come to me and inform me that they want to give vaccines to our children, I will gather my people and tell them well ahead and everybody will be available for it.”
Since health workers don’t come to their area, Buba said he often advises his people to go and get vaccines but “you can only advise but can never force anybody. Many of our people don’t have money to go to hospital or to go and get the vaccines. Everybody is running away from that because of the financial implications. We don’t have money. If we have the money or even have means of livelihood, our people will go for it. Prevention is better than cure.”
Spiritual, cultural angles to vaccine resistance
As a country with high spiritual and cultural attachment, checks showed that many people resist vaccines because of their belief. Joy, a teacher in a faith based school, says the authorities of the school do not allow the pupils to take any form of vaccination.
She said: “The vaccinators don’t come to our school because we don’t allow them to give vaccines to our children. They have tried coming a couple of times but when the authorities said no, they stopped coming.
“The management must have their reason for doing that, but I don’t know why it’s against it. I do allow my children to take it. Even when I see them passing, I take my children to them for vaccination. They will only not take it within the school premises where it is seen as a taboo.”
A respondent, who gave her name as Abigail, spiritualised the whole issue, saying: “polio or whatever health problems that come with vaccines will never be the portion of my children. How many children in villages take all these vaccines? I pray that education will not put us in trouble, because most of the things we are apprehensive about don’t worry villagers.
“Go and take statistics of people in the villages and see how many of them take these vaccines. Once you eat healthily and maintain good hygiene, sicknesses will be far from you. That is my belief and practice.
“I won’t allow my children to take what I don’t know about and then regret it. Let them go with their vaseline or is it vaccine you call it.”
At Ikija, a rural community in Oluyole Local Government Area, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the residents are not keen on vaccines.
During a recent visit to the community by our correspondent, it was found that water taken from a river popularly called Omi Eridu serves as their vaccines. They strongly believe that the water is potent against every kind of ailment.
The river in question is tucked deep inside the community and almost covered by water hyacinth. Residents scoop water from a small portion of the river spared by water hyacinth, using a partly broken calabash dropped on the grass at the bank of the river.
“What is vaccine?” the abore (traditional priest), Musibau Adekambi, asked disdainfully as he led our correspondent to the river, accompanied by the chief hunter of the community and a young girl said to be a devotee of the river.
“We don’t take vaccines here in Ikija. Going to hospital is not our way of life. The water from the river is our vaccine. People are coming for treatment and they are receiving healing after using it,” he said gleefully as he scooped and drank from the river.
“We use the water from the river to treat all kinds of sickness, including COVID-19. If you come here with COVID-19, you will be healed. It is not by our power but by the power that was used to found this community together with the powers of the deities and the river.
“Go round the village and you will not find any sick person. The river will never allow any strange sickness to enter the community. Even if the person contracted the sickness elsewhere, once he enters here, it will not spread to any member of the community. We would rather heal him of the sickness he came with.
“Even strangers who came to reside here have had all their sicknesses in their bodies cured.”
How women are motivated to present children for vaccination in Kano- Nursing mother
A Kano based nursing mother told our correspondent that the number of people turning up for vaccination of their children is on the rise in the state.
The nursing mother who gave her name simply as Mrs Tao said the improvement is as a result of monetary rewards given to women who go to hospitals to vaccinate their children.
She said: “Unlike in the south where immunization is very common, here, it is a challenge. People will tell you that they don’t have transport fares to go to the hospital. Some will say that if they give immunization to their children, it will cause health problems for them.
“Now government has made it easy for the people. They support women coming for immunization. For the first week, they give N1,000. The more you go, the more the money you get increases. By the 14th week, they will give you N6,000. This happens in federal government hospitals and state hospitals too. I am not sure of private hospitals.”
Sharing her personal experience, she said: “when I took my baby to the hospital for BCG recently, they gave me N1,000. I was even surprised. To get that, you will go through some processes like obtaining a card, taking photograph and thumb printing.
“My sister has collected all the available money remaining that of the 14th month which is N6,000. After taking the vaccine, they will give you the money instantly. There is a card they will give you when coming to the hospital. Even if you don’t come with it, they will still give you the money to encourage you to come next time.”
Continuing, she said: “If you give birth in a registered health care facility, they will trace you to your house, vaccinate the child and give you the money.
“I remember when my neighbour did not go for immunization, they traced her to the house. They waited outside till she returned from school to immunize her child and give her the money. This works perfectly here in Kano and everybody is aware of it.”
Nigeria has world’s highest number of zero-dose children – UNICEF
Last May, UNICEF said that Nigeria had the highest global burden of zero-dose (ZD) children with Borno and Yobe States accounting for a disproportionate number of these unvaccinated children.
Speaking during a one-day media dialogue in Damaturu to mark the 2025 World Immunisation Day, UNICEF Health Officer, Bashir Elegbede, highlighted the critical gaps in immunisation coverage across Nigeria’s North-East.
He said: “the under-one population in Nigeria is estimated at 8.7 million, with 2.1 million of them (24 per cent) classified as ZD children. This highlights that Nigeria bears the highest global burden of ZD children. Reducing the number of zero-dose children—those who have not received any routine vaccination—is crucial for improving public health outcomes in Nigeria.”
Elegbede said that around 400,000 children, aged one and above, have not received any form of vaccination across the North-East region. He attributed the high number of ZD children to factors including conflict, climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic, hard-to-reach areas, pastoral communities, urban outskirts, slums, and regions grappling with systemic health challenges.
He warned that unvaccinated children are significantly more vulnerable to life-threatening diseases.
“Children not immunised have been seen to have a relatively high risk of being infected and succumbing to vaccine-preventable diseases like polio, measles, meningitis, yellow fever, and viral hepatitis, among others,” Elegbede stated.
The global target, according to him, is to reduce the number of ZD children by 25 percent this year and by 50 percent by 2030.
He stressed the importance of vaccines as a foundational health measure.
“Across the world, millions of lives have been saved by vaccines. Globally, sadly, Nigeria has the highest burden of ZD children. A number estimated to be 2.1 million as of 2023,” he said.
“With Borno and Yobe States having a disproportionate number of these children. UNICEF, alongside stakeholders in the health sector, has continued to work with the government to reduce the number of ZD children through improvement of routine immunisation coverage and approaches that strengthen the health systems across Nigeria.”
UNICEF in a post on its website lists seven reasons why children must be vaccinated.
It says being a responsible parent or a good caregiver of a child, you should know why it is so important to complete all the vaccines on time.
1. Your children will be more likely to get serious illnesses
Do you know if children who do not receive complete immunization on time will be susceptible to various vaccine-preventable diseases such as hepatitis, tuberculosis, whooping cough, and diphtheria? Furthermore, children are also susceptible to various other health problems; for example, when a child has measles, complications like diarrhoea, pneumonia, blindness, and malnutrition are common.
2. Other family members are also more likely to get seriously ill
Do you know other people around sick and unimmunized children at risk of contracting diseases or vice-versa?
When you get sick, your children, grandchildren, and parents may be at risk, too
Adults are the most common source of pertussis (whooping cough) infection in infants, which can be deadly for babies. When your child gets vaccinated, you are protecting yourself and your family, as well as those in your community who may not be able to be vaccinated.
Adults can also contract and experience mild symptoms with fatal complications; for example, pregnant women who are infected with the rubella virus are at high risk of giving birth to children with various disorders known as congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). Pregnant women who contract the measles virus are at risk of experiencing a miscarriage.
3. You may contribute to a disease outbreak in the community
Infectious disease cases among a vulnerable group could lead to a broader community outbreak. This is why the government still vaccinates children against polio. When more children miss their vaccination, diseases that have been in decline for many years could suddenly break out again.
4. You have to bear the cost of treatment for the disease and its complications
Diseases not only have a direct impact on individuals and their families but also carry a high price tag for society as a whole. It requires expensive and time-consuming treatment.
For example, diphtheria will require immediate treatment in a hospital that has the capacity to treat this disease and its complications. The patient is placed in an isolation room and requires special drugs. An average measles illness can last up to 15 days, typically with five or six missed work or school days. Adults who get hepatitis lose an average of one month of work. In the case of a baby born with CRS, they will require lifelong treatment and high-cost medical aid and therapy.
Vaccines preventable diseases could lead to lifelong disability,for example, measles could lead to blindness. Paralysis is the most severe symptom associated with polio because it can lead to permanent disability and death.
6. Risk of decreasing life expectancy
Incomplete vaccination contributes to a decrease in life expectancy, while complete vaccination among toddlers influences the increase in life expectancy. Data showed that those children who do not receive complete immunization as a child are more likely to contract various other diseases and therefore experience decreased life expectancy.
In West Papua, life expectancy increase from 2010 to 2017 with significant contribution from an increasing number of fully immunized children. [1]
Between 1940 and 1998, life expectancy at birth in Brazil increased by around 30 years, mainly due to the reduction of deaths due to vaccine-preventable infectious diseases. The vaccination of children, which reduced not only cases of illness but also the circulation of infectious agents among the population, positively impacted the health of adults and the elderly (collective protection).
7. Travel restrictions and school enrollment
Several countries require visiting foreigners to be completely immunized. Without immunization, children can lose the opportunity to pursue education in these countries
More and more schools listed ‘complete immunization status’ as one of the admission criteria to ensure all children and school residents are protected from vaccine-preventable diseases and students can fully enjoy their rights to learn at school.
Both institutions trained critical stakeholders on scaling up the state’s Diversion Programme for children in conflict with the law.
The three-day workshop had the theme: “Scale-up of Legal Aid for Children in Conflict with the Law and the Diversion Programme.”
It focused on correcting systemic gaps that expose vulnerable children to harmful detention practices and denying them adequate legal support.
Director of the Office of the Public Defender (OPD), Mrs. O. Adesomoju, said the training speaks directly to the urgent need to shield children from the damaging impacts of adult-oriented justice processes.
She said: “Children in conflict with the law remain among the most vulnerable in our society.
“Many come from backgrounds defined by poverty, trauma, neglect, or unstable family structures.
When the adult justice system becomes their first point of contact, it often deepens, rather than resolves, their challenges.”
Adesomoju emphasised that protecting children requires deliberate reforms, strengthened institutions, and a shift from punishment to rehabilitation.
She noted that UNICEF and the Lagos State Government share a commitment to expanding child-friendly justice and ensuring every child has access to legal representation.
“Every child deserves to be heard, understood, and supported,” she said.
She highlighted diversion as a critical protection tool, offering community-based solutions instead of detention and support services instead of lifelong stigma.
She explained: “Diversion is not an excuse for wrongdoing. It is an acknowledgement that criminalising childhood behaviour usually does more harm than good.
“When we divert a child, we give them the chance to learn, grow, and make amends without carrying a permanent criminal record.”
UNICEF Child Protection Specialist, Dennis Onoise, underscored the gravity of the problem.
He recalled that a 2016 UNICEF survey across six states found Lagos had the highest number of children in detention, some held for years alongside adults.
“Children cannot be allowed to spend two or three years in detention with adults who are strangers to them. It is unsafe and unacceptable,” he said.
The findings prompted UNICEF and Lagos State to develop the Diversion Programme and community rehabilitation centres, currently active in Mushin Local Government and Ojuwoye LCDA.
Over 200 children have already been rehabilitated and reintegrated through these centres.
Onoise urged more local governments to adopt the programme, stressing that protecting children from harmful detention is not only a legal obligation but a moral one.
The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) kicked off a major polio vaccination campaign aimed at protecting 2.8 million children under five across 361 wards in Katsina State.
During the flag off campaign in Katsina,UNICEF called for stronger media involvement and community mobilisation to ensure no child is missed in the statewide exercise.
Mr. Rahama M. Farah, Chief of UNICEF’s Kano Field Office, praised the state for its impressive 90 percent performance in recent rounds and the drastic reduction of confirmed paralysis cases—limited to Danmusa LGA.
He said: ”UNICEF’s renewed engagement with journalists reflects their crucial role in shaping public trust and helping parents understand the life-saving value of the vaccine.”
Farah also appealed to radio stations, especially those covering remote communities, to ramp up sensitisation campaigns, noting that radio remains the most trusted communication channel for rural families.
He reminded parents that routine immunisation is available every day at primary health centres and should be fully utilised.
While noting that the Global Polio Eradication Initiative has made major breakthroughs, Farah warned that polio remains “a borderless threat,” stressing that any lingering case poses a risk to all states.
He urged Katsina to sustain at least 95 percent vaccination coverage and ensure timely release of local government funds to keep field teams active.
Representing the Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Primary Health Care Agency, Dr. Mukhtar Mahmud reaffirmed the government’s commitment to safeguarding children.
He informed the current campaign includes added child and maternal health services such as vitamin A supplements, deworming tablets, azithromycin, routine immunisation, and support for pregnant women. Door-to-door, fixed post and mobile teams have already been deployed across all LGAs.
UNICEF and state officials appealed to parents to complete all required vaccine doses for children aged 0–15 months, emphasising that full immunisation remains the strongest shield against polio. LGAs were encouraged to intensify community mobilisation to dispel misinformation and reassure families of the vaccine’s safety.
With over 3,700 personnel including nearly 2,000 house-to-house and special teams,the exercise is expected to markets, motor parks, remote villages, and hard-to-reach settlements.
Development partners and state authorities were commended for sustained investment in logistics, training and community health systems.
Goodwill messages were delivered by Ambassador Aminu Muhammad, National Consultant and State Polio Lead at the EOC Katsina, and Dr. Sulaiman Haladu of the Polio Emergency Programme, both stressing the need for cooperation among parents, traditional leaders and local councils to ensure no child is left behind.
Vaccination teams have since begun trekking into remote communities, reinforcing Katsina’s resolve to stamp out polio once and for all.
In the conference hall of the Sheraton Lagos Hotel, as Nigeria marked this year’s World Children’s Day, the 71st globally, the air carried an unusual mix of hope and urgency. Editors in crisp suits and Ankara sat shoulder to shoulder with schoolchildren in bright uniforms. A visually impaired teenager who had taught himself to code prepared to take the microphone. A diplomat from the Netherlands struggled to steady his voice. The UNICEF Country Representative declared that the real bosses in the room were the children. For one morning, almost everyone present seemed to agree.
The symposium, themed “Equipping the Nigerian Child for the Future: How Prepared Are We?”, was jointly organised by UNICEF, the Nigerian Guild of Editors, and the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence. While the event celebrated World Children’s Day, it felt less like a festival and more like a national reckoning. Mr Eze Anaba, President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, did not mince words. “Nigeria is in a state of emergency,” he said. “At no other time in our history, except during the civil war, has the condition of our children been this uncertain.” He cited school abductions, 10 to 20 million out-of-school children—the highest number in any country—millions of zero-dose children who have never received a single vaccine, persistent malnutrition, and the recruitment of minors by armed groups. “What happens to our children happens to Nigeria,” he added, and the line resonated across the room.
Ms Wafaa Saeed, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, presented the stark numbers. Under-five mortality, once near 200 per 1,000 live births in 1990, now sits around 100—still among the highest globally. Full immunization coverage has tripled in two decades, yet more than two million children remain unvaccinated annually. Birth registration has improved, but millions of children still do not legally exist. Three out of four children who reach age ten cannot read a simple text. Forty-eight million Nigerians still practice open defecation. “We have made progress,” she said, measured but firm, “but if we continue at this pace, we will lose generations.”
The mood shifted when schoolchildren performed Unstoppable. As the last note faded, Tinafi Akawo, a seventeen-year-old visually impaired coder and child-rights activist, walked to the stage. “Thank you very much. Good to see you,” he said, smiling at an audience he could only discern. Tinafi spoke of artificial intelligence and blockchain as the backbone of the child’s future. He outlined AI-based security systems capable of detecting anomalies and alerting authorities before school kidnappings occur. “Imagine a system that alerts authorities before any attempt happens,” he said. “This could significantly reduce the number of kidnappings in our country.”
He also highlighted digital exclusion, urging policies that train young Nigerians in AI and machine learning to place the country on the global map. “I am visually impaired. I developed an app that lets blind people navigate using a smartphone camera. This is just me. There are thousands more children with ideas that never leave their rooms.” He closed by urging the media to be the voice of children and push the government to nurture talent. As Cobhams Asuquo’s Unstoppable played again, Tinafi left the stage to sustained applause, crystallising the central theme: Nigerian children are unstoppable if given the opportunity.
A panel moderated by Dr Chinonso Egemba (Aproko Doctor) pressed duty bearers to account for daily gaps. Ronak Khan, UNICEF Deputy Representative, explained that interventions follow data, not sentiment. About 90% of Lagos households have clean water access, compared with less than 10% in Kebbi. “No child chooses where they are born. A child in Maiduguri deserves the same chance as a child in Lagos,” he said.
Mrs Mariam Fitumi Shaibu, Deputy Director of Child Development at the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, highlighted initiatives with nationwide potential: the National Commission on Out-of-School Children, the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) in eighteen states, the Lumina Project linking maternal economic empowerment to girls’ education, and the forthcoming national policy on menstrual health and hygiene management.
Mr Henshaw Ogubuike, with editors Ehi Braimah and Ijeoma Popoola, reminded the room that political will and implementation, not policy, remain the biggest gaps. In 2025, some SS3 students still sit on bare floors. Laws alone cannot replace intentional parenting or combat poverty and cultural pressures pushing girls into early marriage. Michel Deelen, Consul General of the Netherlands, delivered a pointed message. “Macroeconomic numbers can look better,” he said, “but as long as schools have no roofs, no water, no teachers, nothing goes better. That is a disgrace.” He noted that part of the Netherlands’ UNICEF funding supports water, sanitation, hygiene, and adolescent entrepreneurship initiatives. “The future is bright. The future is you. But we must steer it in the right direction.”
By morning’s end, editors made public commitments. Mr Anaba vowed to keep child rights on the front burner. Mr Braimah pledged dedicated columns and investigative reporting. Beneath the pledges lay a sober truth: by 2050, Nigeria will have the third-largest child population globally. If today’s out-of-school children become tomorrow’s unemployed, traumatized, or radicalized adults, the consequences will extend far beyond Nigeria. The children have demonstrated talent and determination. The challenge now falls on adults to provide the policies, resources, and guidance that will ensure Nigerian children remain truly unstoppable.
The United Children Education Fund has raised the alarm over Nigeria’s widening education and digital skills gap, warning that the country risks long-term social and economic setbacks if urgent action is not taken.
The Chief of UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Celine Lafoucriere, disclosed that more than 10 million primary school children and another 18 million junior and senior secondary school students are currently out of school.
The combined figure, Lafoucriere noted, shows that over 28 million children and youths are without or have no access to formal education or digital learning opportunities.
She spoke at a two-day media dialogue to support advocacy for accelerated digital learning for Nigerian students organised by the Oyo State Ministry of Information in collaboration with UNICEF.
The Unicef boss described the situation as even more troubling for girl-children, disclosing that 15 out of every 100 Nigerian girls are neither in school, nor learning a trade, nor employed.
This, she said, reflect deepening gender divide in education as well as technology access, which threatens to limit digital opportunities for millions of girls across the country.
Lafoucriere said Nigeria’s demographic projections demand urgent action, noting that by 2030, Nigeria is expected to have 126 million children and adolescent, the largest youth population in Africa.
She emphasized that this demographic boom could be a national strength or a major crisis depending on how well the country equips the young people with relevant skills.
Despite the challenges, she highlighted the ongoing progress, including over 2 million children and youths across 21 states 300,000 of them in Southwest already using the the Nigerian Learning Passport, and more than 62,000 girls having completed digital skills courses.
The Unicef boss commended the Federal Government’s adoption of the National Policy on Skills Development but noted that policy alone is insufficient to close the digital divide.
Lafoucriere said the media have a crucial role in shaping national conversations, spotlighting success stories of young people whose lives are transformed by digital education, and challenging the perception that technology is only for the privileged.
Lafoucriere urged journalists to intensify advocacy for accelerated digital learning and push for increased investment, close the gender gap in technology, as well as amplify issues affecting marginalized communities.
In his presentation, UNICEF Education Specialist, Babagana Aminu, urged the federal government and stakeholders to accelerate digital learning for Nigerian youth.
Aminu warned that the country’s young population could be either a national asset or a liability depending on their skill readiness.
He stressed the importance of equipping young people with digital and Artificial Intelligence skills to compete in the 21st-century workplace, citing the “passport to earning” model that links learning with future employment opportunities.
Citing World Bank and NEET data, Aminu explained that by 2030, 60 percent of Nigerians will be under 35, yet nearly 50 percent of young people are unemployed or underemployed, and millions lack digital and financial literacy.
He dismissed fears that AI will replace jobs, explaining that those skilled in AI and technology will thrive while others risk being left behind, saying “it is not AI that is going to replace people. It is other people that know how to use AI that are going to replace people”.
Babagana said parents must encourage digital literacy for all children, warning that by 2030, about 230 million jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa will require digital competence.
He further advocated the introduction of cybersecurity studies in the secondary school curriculum, noting that the rise of the digital economy, a major contributor to Nigeria’s GDP, makes it imperative for young people to be fully equipped with 21st century digital skills.
The Permanent Secretary, Oyo State Ministry of Information, Rotimi Babalola reiterated the commitment of Governor Seyi makinde’s administration to improve access to quality and technology-driven education.
He noted that the programme organised by Oyo State Government in conjunction with UNICEF aligns strongly with global priorities and reflect the administration’s determination to strengthen learning outcomes for all children.
He also expressed deep appreciation to UNICEF for its consistent support to the state government,stating that the agency has played a crucial role in implementing child-focused programmes across Oyo State.
The Director of Policy, Planning,Research and Statistics, Lagos State Ministry of Basic Education, Mr. Martins Opeyemi, stated that the integration of Artificial Intelligence into the state’s education system aligns fully with the THEMES agenda of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration.
He noted that the state government has intensified efforts and made significant investments to ensuring that schools across the state are fully digitalised in line with global best practices.
Opeyemi explained that Lagos State has prioritised the training of teachers in the use of AI to enhance classroom delivery and improve the students’ exposure to digital literacy, saying that with the level of digitalisation achieved, teaching and learning can now take place seamlessly even in hard-to-reach areas of the state.
Around the world, 1.6 billion children or two in three experience violent punishment by caregivers at home, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports.
UNICEF also reports that one in four children, around 610 million, live with mothers who have been victims of intimate partner violence in the past year.
This is contained in a statement on Wednesday, signed by Claudia Cappa, a Senior Adviser, Data and Analytics Section, Division of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring, UNICEF.
Cappa said that the findings revealed the extent to which violence permeated children’s daily lives and often in the very places where they should feel safest.
“For the first time, the new UNICEF analysis provides a regional breakdown of children’s exposure to intimate partner violence, offering the most detailed global picture yet of where children are most at risk.
“Children in Oceania, Central and Southern Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa are the most likely to live with a mother who has experienced physical, emotional or sexual abuse by a partner.
“Living in violent households is harmful to all aspects of children’s development and well-being — in such contexts, many children are also directly subjected to violent discipline themselves, “ the adviser said.
The adviser said that this form of violence against children could not be ended with ending violence against women.
According to her, the safety and well-being of mothers and children are inseparable.
“UNICEF calls for stronger laws, better coordinated services that link responses to intimate partner violence and child protection.
“Also, efforts to challenge the social norms that excuse or enable abuse, “ she said.
