By Felix Khanoba
Determined to effectively tackle the ugly menace of child rights infringement and poverty across the country, the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Speaking at the event which took place at the United Nations office in Abuja, NESG Chairman, Mr Niyi Yusuf, said the aim of the deal was to join forces with UNICEF in supporting Nigerian government’s efforts in addressing issues affecting children and reducing poverty in the country.
According to him, the MOU is geared towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in education, health and other child rights issues in Nigeria.
The partnership, he said was geared towards interfacing and advocate at the highest policy levels for a child-centered approach to development in Nigeria.
His words : “From the Nigerian and NESG perspectives our view is that the Nigerian children actually represent the greatest assets to this country.
“We keep saying that our children are the leaders of tomorrow and so it’s important that we must invest and plant the seeds to ensure that these children truly become the leaders of tomorrow.”
He said according to the Multi-dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) released in 2022, two thirds of Nigerian children were multi dimensionally poor which means they lacked access to health, education and income.
Also, that more than 50 per cent of the children of poor people have poor early childhood development.
Yusuf said: “So, if a child suffers any negative growth in early childhood, you are laying a not so good foundation for tomorrow and for us at the NESG.
“Our focus is always to promote the modernisation of the Nigerian economy to one that is sustainable, globally competitive and has and promotes shared prosperity.
“We believe that urgent action is required to ensure that we do the right things to promote the development of our children and for those children to then become the leaders, consumers and workforce of tomorrow.”
Also speaking, the Country Representative of UNICEF, Ms Christian Munduate, said that talking about children’s rights means ensuring that everybody who is not a child has a responsibility to children from where they are.
Munduate said: “So, parents need to take care of their children, families need to have a strong network, communities have to build an enabling environment, state and Federal Governments, civil society organisations and media.
“We all play a critical role to put once and for all children at the centre of the agenda in Nigeria.
“They have been poor. And why do you say nothing? about them?”
Munduate said that 54 per cent of Nigerian children still faced multidimensional poverty, “meaning lack of either water or sanitation.
“Also, that 13 million children have moderate malnutrition, meaning that the child who was not properly fed in their first years of life has a deficiency not only in physical growth and is limited in its intellectual development.”
She, however, said that correcting the situation required a lot of commitment from all Nigerians.
Munduate added that NESG was one of the organisations in the country that proposed social and public policies for the country and embraced a powerful network of civil society organisations and private sector.
According to her, UNICEF’s partnership with the organisation would enhance the promotion of child rights in the country.
Munduate added: “UNICEF is dedicated to protecting children’s rights in Nigeria and worldwide and helping them build a strong foundation for their future.
“Our partnership with NESG highlights the urgency of realising this goal and will coordinate efforts to achieve child rights protection in Nigeria through effective public policies.”
