From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has assured Nigerian children that the legislature is committed to prioritising policies and programmes to protect their rights and enable them to explore their potential.
Akpabio made this statement at the National Assembly on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, while addressing children in the Senate chamber during a session commemorating Children’s Day 2025. The Senate suspended its rules to allow the children into the chamber.
Addressing the schoolchildren, Akpabio urged them to shun drugs, dream big, work hard, and never give up on their aspirations. “We pledge to prioritise policies and programmes that protect their rights and their potential,” he assured. He wished them “joy, happiness, and love” in their future, adding, “We are committed to supporting you all the steps of the way.”
The children expressed gratitude through presentations and received individual handshakes from lawmakers.
The Senate earlier called on the Federal Ministry of Education, in collaboration with State Ministries of Education and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), to strengthen efforts to ensure free, compulsory, and quality education for all Nigerian children. It highlighted risks of national instability from neglecting children, citing rising youth unemployment, radicalisation, gender disparities, and multi-generational poverty.
This followed the adoption of resolutions from a motion sponsored by Senator Ireti Kingibe, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs, to mark Children’s Day with a focus on child education and development.
The Senate urged the federal government to introduce a National Skills for Children Initiative, targeting early development in ICT literacy, craft entrepreneurship, creative arts, and problem-solving, starting from primary schools. It also mandated its Committees on Basic Education, Youth Development, and Legislative Compliance to assess child education and development initiatives nationwide and provide actionable recommendations.
Additionally, the Senate encouraged all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to commemorate Children’s Day with policy actions, such as commissioning new schools, introducing child mentorship programmes, and improving health and feeding schemes in schools. It urged the Ministry of Finance and Budget Planning to prioritise increased funding for child education and skills development in the 2026 national budget.
Kingibe emphasised that “children are the bedrock of the nation’s future, and their welfare—educational, emotional, social, and economic—must be treated as a national priority. Children’s Day must be more than symbolic. It must be a rallying point for real action.”
The Senate expressed concern that, as of 2024, Nigeria has the world’s highest number of out-of-school children, estimated at 10 million, with many facing poor infrastructure, inadequate learning environments, and limited access to vocational and digital skills. It unanimously agreed that education is the most effective tool against poverty, inequality, and insecurity.