PDP laments Nigerian children’s neglect by government

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has lamented the harsh conditions which it said Nigerian children have been subjected to in the last six years under President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a statement to greets the Nigerian children as they joined other children across the world to celebrate this year’s International Children’s Day, the main opposition party maintained the day of celebration has become a sad epitaph of in the lives of the children.

The party alleged that under the APC, the Nigerian children have suffered the worst form of neglect, denied the basic necessities of life, with millions of them rendered homeless and orphaned, without access to education, healthcare and appropriate elements of a happy and productive childhood.

The PDP added: “Under President Buhari and the APC, about 10.1 million Nigerian children are reportedly out of school, the highest in the sub-Sahara region. This is in addition to over 19 million children languishing in Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps in various parts of our country, with many more killed or orphaned by terrorists under APC’s watch.

“Under President Buhari, violence against children, child trafficking and other acts that infringe on the rights of the child have escalated to a frightening proportion.

“Moreover, the Buhari-led APC administration has continued to mortgage the future of the Nigerian children with its humongous corruption and reckless foreign borrowings, which is putting a huge yoke on the feeble shoulders of our innocent children.”

The party urged President Buhari to end “his administration’s insensitivity to the children by deploying special incentives to boost access to education, healthcare as well as guarantee the security and safety of children especially in crisis areas.”

It said Buhari must take steps to end the insecurity in the country so that the children in IDP camps and crisis-ridden areas can return to their normal lives.

The PDP also urged the National Assembly as well as state legislative houses to strengthen all child rights and protection legislation and ensure effective implementation in the interest of the children.

“As a party, the PDP believes in the Nigerian child and calls on well-meaning and public-spirited Nigerians to use the day to reach out and intervene in the myriads of challenges facing the Nigerian children,” the statement added.

While saluting the Nigerian children and wishing them happy celebrations, the PDP urged Nigerians to remain undeterred but continue to rally for the children and remain steadfast “in the collective effort to rescue the nation from the misrule of the APC.”

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