African child: NHRC advocates safe water, hygiene for children

By Jude Opara

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has charged the government, communities and development partners to immediately ensure enhanced access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene for every Nigerian child.

The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Chief Tony Ojukwu, made the call in a statement marking the 2026 Day of the African Child, observed annually on June 16.

Ojukwu said the 2026 theme, “Ensuring Universal Access to Water and Hygiene for Every Child in Africa,” highlights the importance of clean water and sanitation to children’s health, dignity and development.

He said the commemoration was equally in honour of children who died during the 1976 Soweto Uprising in South Africa while demanding quality education and respect for their rights.

The NHRC boss noted that access to water, sanitation and hygiene remains a fundamental right that is still denied to millions of children across Africa, including Nigeria.

The learned silk regretted that many Nigerian children, particularly in rural and underserved communities, still lack access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation facilities, adding that inadequate WASH facilities in schools contribute to absenteeism and dropout rates, especially among girls.

Ojukwu also expressed concern over inadequate funding for the WASH sector as well as the weak mechanisms for tracking the impact of investments on children’s welfare.

He urged Federal, State and Local Governments to prioritise child-friendly WASH facilities in schools, healthcare centres, Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) and communities, even in the rural areas.

The Executive Secretary, who is also President of the Network of National Human Rights Institutions in West Africa (NNHRI-WA), further called on Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), development partners and civil society organisations to strengthen collaboration and improve data collection to reach children without access to essential WASH services.

Similarly, as part of activities marking the Day of the African Child, the Director of the NHRC Women and Children Department, Mrs. Ngozi Okore, led a sensitization road walk along major streets and markets in Gwarimpa Estate, Abuja., where participants distributed fliers and stickers containing human rights messages, particularly on the rights of the child, while engaging residents, traders and commuters on the need to protect children’s rights and promote access to basic services, like water, sanitation and hygiene.