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By Ndimele Glory Chidinma
The girl-child is treated differently in Nigeria. From homes to schools and broader society, preference is consistently given to boys. This is why many parents seem disappointed when a baby girl is born. Traditionally, Nigerian society accords male children formal education, inheritance, landed property, and household leadership.
However, giving preference to male children has created systemic injustice and inequality against female children. As a result, many girls never attend school, grow up without usable skills, and become adults with no source of income. Female children are frequently denied opportunities to acquire vital life skills from childhood through adulthood.
Although the rise in advocacy against these injustices is yielding results, much remains to be done to achieve a truly equitable society for all.
Educating the Girl Child
In Nigeria, over 7.5 million girls are out of school, lacking access to quality formal education. Rather than attending school, these girls are forced to hawk on the streets, married off at an early age, or sent to work as domestic helpers. While their male counterparts acquire knowledge and skills, girls are denied these critical opportunities. The consequences of zero or poor education for girls include unemployment, chronic poverty, severe health challenges, and a diminished future.
To address the growing number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, the government must move beyond mere policies to ensure that all children are in school, leaving no one behind. Girls must have guaranteed access to primary and secondary education and be free to choose their own tertiary path. Additionally, adequate reading and writing materials must be provided. Currently, only about 26% of Nigerian children and adolescents possess basic literacy and numeracy skills, according to UNICEF. This statistic must change. Children should not bear the burden of school fees; the government ought to ensure primary and secondary education is fully free, backed by sustainable school-feeding programs.
For Nigeria to cultivate more accomplished women like Ms. Amina Mohammed, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Prof. Dora Akunyili, and Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, there must be greater investment in quality education. The government needs to translate policy into action by driving massive enrollment of female students, increasing the basic education budget, providing learning resources, hiring competent teachers, and updating the curriculum to emphasize Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
Protecting the Health of the Girl Child
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Nigeria accounts for one of the highest numbers of women and girls subjected to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), with girls aged 0–14 at particular risk. These children are subjected to harmful procedures that offer zero health benefits and instead expose them to severe infections, physical complications, shame, and long-term trauma. Despite efforts to curb FGM in Nigeria, the practice remains widespread across many communities. A more collaborative, community-driven approach is urgently required to eliminate it.
Furthermore, roughly 33% of Nigerian girls are married before turning 18. Deprived of formal education or technical skills, they become wives and mothers far too early, saddled with responsibilities beyond their maturity. Although Nigeria committed to ending child marriage between 2021 and 2026, significant gaps persist. Girls from low-income households, rural areas, and uneducated backgrounds remain especially vulnerable. Stakeholders across all sectors must go beyond policy formulation to actively eradicate child marriage on the ground.
When girls endure FGM and child marriage while being denied education and skills, the resulting isolation severely harms their mental health. Many girls in Nigeria suffer from anxiety, depression, and trauma stemming from poverty, early pregnancy, postpartum depression, and deep-seated cultural stigmas.
FGM, child marriage, and systemic female poverty must be aggressively tackled to open wider pathways and opportunities for every girl.
Building Self-Esteem
Poverty remains a massive barrier for girls and women in Nigeria. A child denied access to quality education and practical skills will inevitably struggle to earn a reliable living. Financial dependence on spouses or relatives leaves women without decision-making power, personal agency, or choice—making them far more vulnerable to domestic abuse. Nigeria continues to record high rates of physical, emotional, and sexual intimate partner violence, an issue that demands immediate action.
Addressing these challenges requires a holistic approach. All female children of school age must be in school, learning in safe, conducive environments equipped with modern facilities. Qualified teachers must be recruited, and school curricula must reflect contemporary realities. Harmful practices like FGM and child marriage must end. Government agencies and civil society must shift from writing policies to enforcing measurable implementations. Only through these concrete actions can we educate, protect, and empower the Nigerian girl child.
• Ndimele Glory Chidinma, an Educator, writes from Lagos
