By Tobias Lengnan Dapam
About 2000 youth yesterday rally across 10 Nigerian states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, to advocate for quality education for all children.
This was contained in a statement issued yesterday by the Communication, Advocacy and Partnerships of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Oluwatosin Akingbulu.
The statement said the rally was in commemoration of the Day of the African Child.
UNICEF said the youth presented petitions to their governors, parliamentarians, policymakers and other influential persons in a mass effort to draw attention to the need to act on commitments to increasing access to safe, quality education for all children, especially girls.
The action, supported by UNICEF, comes as the world celebrates the Day of the African Child, commemorating the day in 1976 that hundreds of students were shot in Soweto, South Africa, while demonstrating for their right to quality education.
The Nigerian campaign for access to quality education will hold the newly-elected government officials at all levels accountable for their campaign promises to provide equitable access to free, safe and quality education for every child, especially the girl child, in Nigeria.
“The 10 states where the mass actions took place were; Bauchi, Niger, Katsina, Kano, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba and the FCT, have about eight million children not in school and, an average enrolment rate of only 57 per cent.
“The global theme for this year’s Day of the African child is child rights in all situations, including during humanitarian crises.
“In Nigeria today, over 10.5 millions children are unable to access safe and quality education, including due to the ongoing crisis in the north-east, which has left schools destroyed, teachers unavailable, and parents terrified to send their children to school due to insecurity – especially for girl children, who have been the victim of kidnapping while at school.”
