President Muhammadu Buhari says his government is committed to protecting children from violence and exploitation against them.
He said his administration would also ensure adequately safe environments for them to pursue their educational attainments and discover their full potentials to grow into responsible citizens.
The president made the promise in his message on the occasion of this year's National Children's Day.
He said the theme for this year’s celebration, “Creating Safe Spaces for Children: Our Collective Responsibility”, was an opportunity to promote the safety and security of children.
He said his administration had made giant strides in the protection of the rights of the Nigerian child "and as a result of such efforts, Nigeria has been declared a path finding country on ending violence against children.
"This I believe is a collective achievement and I urge us to continue to build on the present momentum to achieve the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," he said.
He said this year's Children's Day afforded him another opportunity to reaffirm his commitment to the protection of children, "a day to reflect on our roles and responsibilities as parents and leaders towards our children, and also assessing how far we have fared in this regard.
"As you may recall, one of the cardinal objectives of this administration is the provision of quality education to our children as a fundamental foundation of economic and social development."
The president said his administration had recorded measurable success in the home grown school feeding programme as it had continued to expand.
"Our children are our future, and the initiatives that come from them give confidence that our country has a bright future.
"I am always inspired and encouraged when I remember encounters I had with three of our young ones. When I was on medical vacation in 2017, three year old Maya Jammal recorded a prayer for my recovery, which went viral online.
"Also, 10 year old Aisha Aliyu Gebbi wrote a personal letter to me, describing herself as my 'biggest fan'.
"Nicole Benson, then 12 years old, had contributed the sum of five thousand, seven hundred naira and eighty-five kobo (N5,700.85) to my campaign in 2015. The money was all saved up from her lunch and pocket allowance. There are millions of such children nationwide.
"I am very impressed by what our children have been able to do, and what the future holds for them. That is one reason why we are committed to the school feeding programme, to prepare a future generation of physically and intellectually robust children. At the last count, over 8.2 million children in 24 states of the Federation are being given free meals daily. This happens in 45,000 schools round the country.
"I therefore call on all stakeholders to support this programme to ensure that all the 36 States of the Federation and FCT are covered. This will promote substantially higher enrolment levels in our schools."
He said since its inception in May 2015, his administration has also focused attention on addressing issues of child protection, participation and survival.
"In 2015, the campaign to end violence against children was launched which was commemorated in 2016. In November 2016, the campaign to end child marriage was also launched to ensure that as many children as possible are able to fully enjoy their childhood and be protected from all the challenges associated with this phenomenon. These campaigns have been reinforced with sensitization campaigns in some atates of the federation.
Buhari called on all schools' management committees at all levels of public and private institutions to take adequate security measures and put in place mechanisms for safety of children.
He noted that in his efforts to protect children from abuse, exploitation and trafficking as well as provide safe, non-violent inclusive and effective learning environment in schools, he had directed the management of all Federal Government colleges and advised all state-owned schools across Nigeria to provide adequate measures of safety and security of their students.
He also urged the security agencies to redouble their efforts in protecting children from danger and violence in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Child Rights Act, 2003.
Buhari, who appreciated the security agencies for their efforts so far, described the rising cases of violence against children as unacceptable.
He called on the families, security agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organizations, human rights activists and the society at large to rise up and take urgent and decisive actions to stem violence against children.
"We must ensure safety of our children in homes, schools, markets, worship centres, on the streets and everywhere at all times," he said.
He also appealed to parents not to relent in their efforts to send their wards to school, especially the girl-child as her education reduces infant and maternal mortality and prevents early and child marriages. "It also increases literacy and reduces poverty. The saying that to educate a woman is to educate the nation is very apt in this regard."
Once again, happy Children’s Day," the president said.
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