Civil society organisations have called on the National Assembly to launch a comprehensive review of policies, legislation and programmes targeting Nigerian children, amid concerns over alleged foreign influence in the country’s education and family-related policies.
The organisations, led by the Centre for African Policy Research and Advisory (CAFPRA), made the demand in Abuja during a media engagement on children, family values, education and public policy.
They urged lawmakers to look beyond individual bills and investigate the broader policy frameworks, funding arrangements, international partnerships and educational materials shaping programmes for children and young people.
According to the groups, policies concerning children require heightened scrutiny because decisions taken today could have far-reaching consequences for families, communities and future generations.
Speaking at the engagement, CAFPRA Executive Director, Dr. Segun Adebayo, said African governments must ensure that policies adopted in their countries reflect their respective social and cultural realities.
“We are dedicated to policies of the land, to be sure that the policies of government in Africa are consistent with the realities of Africa,” Adebayo said.
He expressed concern over the adoption of policy frameworks without adequate consultation with Nigerians who would ultimately be affected by them.
Adebayo urged the National Assembly to provide meaningful opportunities for parents, educators, civil society organisations, child-rights advocates, community leaders and other stakeholders to participate in decisions concerning children.
CAFPRA argued that Nigeria should not automatically adopt international policy frameworks without first assessing their relevance to the country’s cultural, social and institutional environment.
The organisation called for closer examination of concepts contained in some international frameworks relating to children’s education, reproductive health, personal autonomy and gender.
It specifically urged lawmakers to carefully examine terms such as “bodily autonomy,” “sexual rights” and “gender identity” before they are incorporated into legislation, government policies or educational materials for children.
The organisation said the debate should be based on what is age-appropriate and consistent with Nigeria’s laws, culture and family structures, rather than being reduced to ideological positions.
Human rights lawyer and public affairs analyst, Sonnie Ekwowusi, who spoke on behalf of CAFPRA, said public opinion was increasingly becoming a major factor in determining whether controversial policies eventually gain legislative approval.
“Public opinion change is currently where they are going, because if public opinion does not change, it will never be passed as a law,” Ekwowusi said.
He noted that policy advocacy was increasingly extending beyond government offices and legislative chambers to the wider public, whose acceptance or opposition could ultimately influence the fate of proposed laws and policies.
CAFPRA disclosed that it had formally written to the Presidency and the leadership of the National Assembly to draw attention to its concerns.
The organisation said it would also engage relevant legislative committees and circulate policy recommendations among lawmakers as part of its ongoing advocacy.
A policy researcher and media personality, Gold Boms, said the organisation was reviewing proposed legislation and government policies to determine whether they aligned with Nigeria’s social environment.
“We are making sure that all the bills being passed, we are looking at them and saying, look, this is not aligned with our social reality,” Boms said.
He said such scrutiny was necessary to ensure that legislation was not only technically sound but also responsive to the realities of Nigerian families and communities.
The organisations further demanded greater transparency in the development, funding and implementation of programmes affecting children.
They urged government agencies and development partners to disclose the objectives, sources of funding, content and implementation arrangements of programmes introduced in schools and communities.
Chris Yama, a representative of CYFPRA, described the issue as one that required wider public attention because of its potential impact on families and future generations.
“It is a very important conversation. It is on a topic that affects your children and your grandchildren. It is comprehensive sexuality education,” Yama said.
He called for greater involvement of parents and communities in decisions concerning educational programmes targeted at children.
A child-rights advocate with InnerCity Missions for Children, Jane Chukwu, shifted attention to the challenges confronting vulnerable children across the country.
Chukwu said her organisation’s work with children living in difficult circumstances had demonstrated the need for policies to address poverty, family breakdown, lack of access to education and inadequate child protection.
“We are a solution-based organisation. We don’t theorise about child protection. We believe it is every day; our team walks to the streets of Nigerian cities. We pick up children who already lost what today’s briefing is talking about,” Chukwu said.
She disclosed that the organisation was establishing a free school in Abuja for children from vulnerable backgrounds and had introduced educational and vocational initiatives to help young people rebuild their lives.
She stressed that protecting children required more than policy pronouncements, saying government and stakeholders must also tackle the social and economic conditions that leave children vulnerable.
CAFPRA also referenced developments in countries including Liberia and Zimbabwe, alleging that some programmes relating to education, reproductive health and family issues had received external support.
The organisation called on Nigerian lawmakers to investigate the origins, funding arrangements, partnerships and implementation structures of similar programmes operating in Nigeria.
As part of its advocacy, CAFPRA disclosed plans to present an African Charter on Family Values and Sovereignty to the National Assembly.
Adebayo said the proposed charter would provide an additional framework for discussions on family values, national sovereignty and policies that reflect African circumstances.
“We are going to bring that charter to our National Assembly,” he said.
The organisation said it would continue engaging lawmakers, government institutions, civil society groups, parents, educators and other stakeholders to influence the ongoing policy debate.
The CSOs also urged the media to intensify investigative reporting into policies and programmes affecting children, particularly by examining their origins, funding sources, objectives and implementation mechanisms.
They maintained that Nigerians deserved sufficient information to understand who develops, funds and implements programmes directly affecting children and families.
The organisations ultimately urged the National Assembly to subject policies affecting Nigerian children to broader consultation, greater transparency and rigorous legislative scrutiny, insisting that Nigeria’s social and cultural realities must remain at the centre of decisions concerning the nation’s children.
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