ICC Note
Children in Nigeria are concerned about their own lack of schooling, violence and terrorism, according to a report done by UNICEF. This is unsurprising as Nigeria is torn apart by groups such as Boko Haram and Fulani militants, who have murdered hundreds or even thousands of men, women and children so far this year. These violent acts have led to tens of thousands of families being displaced from their homes, and has made millions of children in Nigeria miss out on school. These children are worried about being stuck in poverty or dying at a young age due to their circumstances. We pray that Nigeria is able to find peace soon.
2017-11-22 Nigeria (AllAfrica) A new survey released by the United Nations Children and Education Fund (UNICEF) has identified poor education, violence against children and terrorism among the biggest concerns for children in Nigeria.
In commemoration of this year’s World Children’s Day, UNICEF carried out the survey in 14 countries across the world and it involved more than 11,000 nine to 18-year-old children.
In Nigeria, the online survey carried out among 500 children revealed that eight in 10 children admitted worrying a lot about poor education affecting children across the world, and seven in 10 children worry a lot about being personally affected by poverty. The results also indicate that 59 per cent of children do not trust their country’s leaders.
“It is clear that children are acutely aware of the challenges their peers face across the world and they are afraid of being affected by these issues themselves,” said Mohamed Fall, Representative of UNICEF Nigeria.
“The fact that our young people are telling us they do not think their opinion is heard or it does not have any impact reflects that they feel powerless and disenfranchised.”
According to the Communication and External Relations, UNICEF Nigeria, Mr. Geoffery Njoku, the findings revealed that Nigerian children are most likely to worry about poor education, violence against children, and terrorism affecting their peers.
Njoku said they also worry about being personally affected by these issues and poverty and they wanted world leaders to take action.
As part of the activities lined up to mark the day, UNICEF Nigeria organised a programme tagged ‘Children Takeover’, which is a high-profile moment in the media, politics, business, sports, music and entertainment to raise awareness on the most vulnerable and hardest to reach children.
Through the event, children were expected to raise their voices in solidarity with the world’s most disadvantaged children and will shine a spotlight on the most pressing challenges faced by their generation.
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