Nigeria was among the countries that observed Children’s Day, last Tuesday, May 27. It is largely a commemorative event celebrated annually in honour of children whose date of observance varies by country. On such occasions, speeches and pledges are made in assuring the children of their importance to society.
In this year’s edition, President Bola Tinubu advertised his administration’s commitment to safeguarding the rights and well-being of Nigerian children, declaring them as the “pride and future of our great nation”. Eating into the theme of the celebration, tagged, “Stand Up, Speak Up: Building a Bullying-Free Generation”, Tinubu said it aligns directly to the culture his administration is building, which he said entitles every child to feel safe, respected and heard, both in physical spaces and digital communities.
The President decried the situation in which 65 per cent of school-age children in the country are experiencing some form of bullying, stressing that a child who learns in fear cannot learn well; a child who grows in fear cannot grow right. To mitigate the situation, he unveiled a series of bold initiatives to strengthen child protection frameworks, promote safe learning environments, and ensure that no Nigerian child is left behind. The pledge by the President is in order, his show of concern for the vulnerable children, commendable.
Two days later, on the occasion of the second anniversary of his administration, Tinubu stated that he has not only improved security but also expanded the economy, with the country’s external reserves increasing by almost 500% from $4 billion in 2023 to over $23 billion by the end of 2024. The President further claimed that inflation has begun to ease, with prices of rice and other staples declining. The oil and gas sector, he added, is recovering; rig counting up by over 400% in 2025 compared to 2021, and over $8 billion in new investments being committed.
On insecurity, the President appropriated some successes, arguing that in some areas of the North-West, hitherto under the control of bandits, the security agents have restored order, reducing and eliminating threats to lives and livelihoods. “With the success achieved, farmers are back tilling the land to feed us. Highways, hitherto dangerous for travellers, have become safer”, he said.
It is at this point clear that the President is being economical with the truth. It is not entirely surprising, anyway. In the last two years of his presidency, Nigerians have been treated to an overdose of propaganda and sheer deceit to the point that it is difficult to differentiate when the government is serious on any agenda or merely embarking on populist posturing. For instance, statistics indicate that the country is projected to have a high out-of-school children rate, with approximately 18.3 million children not in school. This must have been a conservative estimate, given the wars and displacements in many parts of the country arising from the activities of terrorists, bandits and other shades of criminals. Even at that, the figure makes Nigeria the country with the largest number of out-of-school children globally.
The security situation is still piteous. On this space, two weeks ago, I reminded the President that the security challenge was hitting harder. I recalled depressing memory of listening to a member of the House of Representatives from Zamfara State, Aminu Jaji, as he recounted the worsening security situation in his constituency. Jaji listed instances of attacks, mass kidnappings, and general lawlessness that have left his constituents devastated and displaced. The chilling aspect of his narration was one in which a pregnant woman gave birth in captivity and her newborn twins were thrown to dogs by a bandit leader. He also gave an instance of a boy with epilepsy who was executed for falling in the presence of a bandit.
In Borno, a gory online video depicted dead soldiers killed in Monday, May 12, during Boko Haram attacks on a military base in Marte Local Government Area of the state. Agency reports put the number of soldiers extinguished at 10. The assault on the soldiers came on the heels of an alarm by the Borno State governor, Babagana Zulum, on the resurgence of Boko Haram onslaughts in the state, which he said meant the government was losing ground to the terrorist group.
It was equally tears and blood from Sokoto, where gunmen loyal to bandit kingpin, Bello Turji, attacked and sacked four communities in Isa Local Government Area of the state; in Niger and Kwara states, a new terrorist group, Mahmuda, had intensified attacks at various communities. In Enugu and other South East states, armed Fulani herdsmen are making life difficult. It becomes difficult to allow the President run away with the claim of being on top of the security situation. Now, it must be stated that the ugly trend did not start with the Tinubu administration. The government has also put up some efforts in taming the monster. It is just that not much result has been recorded, despite regular claims by government officials.
The same thing applies to the economy. It may be easy for Tinubu and his men to real out mountain-size statistics on their achievements on economy but these are hardly supported by the realities on ground. The President, while in opposition, was quoted at a time to have said that his understanding of inflation going down or the standard of living rising higher, was through the prices of basic food items and how comfortable the citizens were. Going by that standard, there is no basis for him to claim that the economy is doing well. Staples and consumables are still far off the reach of the ordinary Nigerian, two years after his inauguration. The harsh economic environment has led to the closure of about 30 percent of Micro and Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria, amounting to about 7.2 million of the country’s estimated 24 million MSMEs, between 2023 and 2024, according to the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG). From the lingo of Nigerians feeding from the bins, there are literally, no more morsels to pick.
These are facts the President does not seem to give deseving considerations. He is rather busy procuring endorsements from largely failed and panic-stricken state governors for his 2027 reelection gambit. Nobody is of course begrudging him of seeking another term. But Tinubu needs to sit down, do the job he is elected for before asking for another term.