Published September 29, 2017
The life of the Nigerian child still remains the worst reflection of Nigeria's dismal condition. These terrible circumstances have pushed these young ones to reflect on the nation’s failings.
Right from the nation’s capital to the commercial hub in Lagos and oil nave in Port Harcourt, the faces of hungry and beggarly looking children confront one with endless queries about Nigeria's commitment to its children. The situation is worse in Kano, Kaduna, Katsina and other Northern states, due to poor access to modern education, health and social amenities.
Who will rescue the Nigerian child? This question has bedeviled the nation for many years, despite decades of national and international interventions to secure the lives of these young ones. Most people blame it on poor governance, corruption, extreme religious and cultural practices that promote gross violation of rights of children and women too.
Sadly, these dismal demographics have worsened with the emergence of Boko Haram, Fulani herdsmen, religious violence and political upheavals. UNICEF confirmed this in its 2017 report saying 'the humanitarian crisis in Nigeria has significantly increased in scale, due to the on-going conflict in the North-East. In the three most directly affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, 8.5million people require humanitarian assistance, including 1.68million internally displaced persons, more than half of whom are children'.
In line with the 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan, UNICEF said its focus remains on these three states, where 93 percent of the internally displaced persons reside. It said it needed '' US $146.9million to reach more than four million people including 2.1million children due to 69 percent funding gap, especially for children and their families. It noted that donor support is critical to continue scaling up the response in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.
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