My Dear Children,
The pride and future of our great nation, I join you in celebrating the 2025 National Children’s Day with immense pride and profound joy. On this special day, I reaffirm our unwavering commitment to nurturing and protecting you—Nigeria’s future leaders, innovators, and changemakers.
Across every school, community, and home in Nigeria, you are the most precious part of our national fabric—the heartbeat of our nation’s future and the custodians of tomorrow’s promise. Today, I reaffirm our constitutional, moral, and intergenerational duty to safeguard every Nigerian child, protect your rights, and nurture your dreams.
A Nation United Against Bullying
This year’s theme, “Stand Up, Speak Up: Building a Bullying-Free Generation,” is timely and powerful. It reflects the culture we are building—a culture where every child feels safe, respected, and heard, both in physical spaces and digital communities. Let me be clear: violence, bullying, and neglect have no place in Nigeria today.
Globally, more than 1 in 3 children experience bullying. In Nigeria, studies show that up to 65% of school-age children have faced physical, psychological, or social aggression. This is unacceptable. A child who learns in fear cannot learn well. A child who grows in fear cannot grow right.
Renewed Hope Agenda for Child Protection
Under the Renewed Hope Agenda, child protection remains a top priority. We are fully implementing the National Plan of Action on Ending Violence Against Children (2024–2030)—a roadmap to prevent abuse, prosecute perpetrators, and support victims, supported by robust financing and multi-sectoral coordination.
We are also reviewing and strengthening legal frameworks, including the Child Rights Act (2003) and the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (2015), to close protection gaps and enforce these laws nationwide. The Cybercrime Act is fully in force to shield children from cyberbullying, exploitation, and abuse.
Collective Responsibility and Holistic Action
While I am pleased that all 36 states have domesticated the Child Rights Act, laws alone are not enough. We must all act—parents, teachers, caregivers, faith leaders, lawmakers, and citizens. Everyone has a role to play.
We are scaling up the Child Protection Information Management System (CPIMS) for real-time case tracking and response. The Ministry of Women’s Affairs is also strengthening community-based protection mechanisms, training frontline responders, and running nationwide campaigns to end harmful traditional practices.
We are also working on a new institutional framework focused exclusively on Child Protection and Development, ensuring greater accountability and coordination.
Ensuring Safe, Healthy, and Inclusive Environments
To ensure safe learning environments, we have introduced the National Policy on Safety, Security, and Violence-Free Schools, and created Guidelines for School Administrators. Social-emotional learning and child safeguarding are being embedded into teacher training. Through the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children, we ensure inclusive educational pathways for all.
In healthcare, we are expanding access to Mother and Child Hospitals across all six geopolitical zones and supporting state-level efforts to replicate this model. Through the National Guidelines for Alternative Care, we ensure that children without biological families receive adequate protection and nurturing.
Nutrition and Well-being
Through the Nutrition 774 programme and our School Feeding Scheme, we are improving child health and cognitive development. No child should go hungry in Nigeria. A well-nourished child is better prepared to learn, dream, and lead.
To strengthen coordination, the Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs has established a dedicated Department of Nutrition, ensuring policy coherence and effective programme delivery.
Additionally, we are finalising a Child Wellbeing Index and expanding access to the Universal Child Grant, tracking our progress and holding ourselves accountable.
A Call to Action: Everyone a Child Protection Champion
Government efforts alone will not suffice. Child safety must be anchored in community vigilance. Today, I launch the nationwide “See Something, Say Something, Do Something” campaign, urging every Nigerian to become a child protection champion.
To Our Beloved Children
You matter. Your dreams matter. Your voices matter. No one has the right to hurt or silence you. If you are bullied or harmed, speak up—you will be heard, and you will be protected.
A Future of Dignity, Peace, and Love
I call on all stakeholders to embed child rights in all budgets, policies, and plans. I commend the states already taking bold steps and urge others: now is the time. Our children are not statistics—they are the soul of our nation.
Let today mark a renewed movement to build a Nigeria where no child suffers in silence, no child is left behind, and every child grows in dignity, peace, and love.
Congratulations to all our children. May your laughter echo across this land as a symbol of Renewed Hope and a prosperous future.
Long live Nigerian children.
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.