The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has issued a stark warning about the worsening crisis facing Nigerian children, highlighting severe child malnutrition, education deficits, and health service gaps that threaten the country's future.
UNICEF Representative to Nigeria, Mrs. Cristian Munduate, emphasized these concerns during the presentation of UNICEF’s 2024 annual report in Lagos, revealing that Nigeria’s child welfare challenges are dire and multifaceted. With an estimated 8 million babies born annually, many face life-threatening conditions from birth.
Child Malnutrition Crisis
- Approximately 2 million Nigerian children suffer from severe acute malnutrition (SAM)—the highest number in Africa and second in the world. Only 20% of these children currently receive treatment, leaving many vulnerable to fatal outcomes.
- Stunting, which permanently impairs brain development and learning capacity, affects 40% of children under five in Nigeria, with the northern regions most affected.
- Malnutrition contributes directly or indirectly to 45% of child deaths under five in Nigeria.
- UNICEF projects that nearly 5.4 million children under five in northern Nigeria suffer from malnutrition, with numbers expected to rise without urgent intervention.
- Food insecurity and reduced donor funding worsen the crisis, hampering access to life-saving nutrition, health, and protection services.
Education and Health Gaps
- Over 18 million children including 10 million in primary and 8 million in secondary school are out of school in Nigeria. Access to education remains a major barrier for vulnerable children.
- Early child marriage disrupts girls’ education and leads to severe health complications, underscoring the need to invest in girls' education.
- Over 1.3 million children lack basic vaccinations, leading to preventable diseases and childhood deaths.
- UNICEF and partners have worked to register 10 million children with birth certificates, a vital step for accessing social protection programs.
- Basic sanitation remains a challenge, with 40 million Nigerians practicing open defecation, posing significant public health risks.
Calls for Multisectoral Action
UNICEF stresses that addressing these interconnected issues requires coordinated efforts among parents, communities, government, civil society, and media. The agency calls for:
- Increased government investment in nutrition, health care, sanitation, and education infrastructure.
- Strengthening social protection to reduce child vulnerability.
- Raising public awareness through sustained media engagement and community outreach.
- Prioritizing girls’ education and protection against early marriage.
- Expanding immunization and therapeutic feeding programs to reach more children in need.
UNICEF further urges Nigerian media to shift some focus from politics to highlight human-interest stories reflecting the realities of vulnerable women and children, fostering empathy and greater social commitment.
Nigeria’s child population faces a complex humanitarian and developmental challenge marked by alarming malnutrition levels, education access shortfalls, and health inequities. Without urgent and sustained interventions, these issues will impair Nigeria’s human capital development and economic future.
Addressing these gaps aligns with the government’s and UNICEF’s calls for shared responsibility to protect every Nigerian child’s right to health, nutrition, education, and a dignified life.
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