In a message to mark this year’s Children’s Day, he said there is need to ensure the safety of the children in homes, schools, markets, worship centres, on the streets and everywhere at all times.
The President appealed to parents not to relent in their efforts to send their wards to school, especially the girl child as according to him, 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,” he said.
While appreciating the security agencies, Buhari urged them to redouble their efforts in protecting children from danger and violence in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Child Rights Acts, 2003.
He added: “Today affords me another opportunity to re-affirm our administration’s 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. In this regard, I am pleased to inform you that this Administration has recorded measurable success in the home-grown school feeding programme as it has continued to expand.
“Our children are our future, and the initiatives that come from them give confidence that our country has a bright future.”
The president recalled the encounters he had with some Nigerian children which he said had inspired him.
According to him, “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 around 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 enrollment levels in our schools.”
President Buhari noted that since the inception of his administration, it had focused attention on addressing issues of child protection, participation and survival.
He recalled: “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 States of the Federation.”
He observed that 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 our children.
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He further said: “As a responsible Government, we are committed to ensuring that children are protected from violence and exploitation against them, and, that their environments are safe enough for them to pursue their educational attainments, discover their full potentials to grow into responsible citizens.
“This administration has 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 Pathfinding 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).
“In our efforts to protect our children from abuse, exploitation and trafficking as well as provide safe, non-violent inclusive and effective learning environment in our schools, this administration has directed the management of all Federal Government Colleges and advised all state-owned schools across the Country to provide adequate measures of safety and security of their students.
“I again call on all schools management committees at all levels of public and private institutions to take adequate security measures and put in place mechanisms for the safety of children.”
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