President Bola Tinubu has called on governments at all levels, families, and communities to go beyond symbolic gestures and build a culture where children are truly listened to and actively involved in decisions that affect their lives.
He made this declaration at the 2026 National Children’s Day celebration held at Eagle Square, Abuja.
Delivering his message through the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, the President told pupils and students from primary and secondary schools in attendance that their thoughts, concerns, and aspirations are central to Nigeria’s future.
He described the assurance that “your opinion matters, your ideas matter, your well-being matters” not as mere rhetoric, but as a guiding principle for the country’s democratic renewal.
The event was held under the theme “Future Now: Promoting Inclusion for Every Nigerian Child,” and the President used the occasion to stress that inclusion must serve as the moral bedrock of national development.
He emphasised that no child whether from a remote community or an urban centre, physically challenged or socially vulnerable should feel overlooked or left behind.
Every child, he said, deserves equal access to quality education, healthcare, protection, nutrition, digital opportunities, and a sense of belonging.
Linking these ideals to concrete policy action, President Tinubu pointed to several programmes under his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, including the Renewed Hope Social Impact Intervention–774, Nutrition 774, ANRiN 2.0, and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), as evidence that children’s needs are being translated into actual budgetary commitments.
He also highlighted investments in STEM education and the Ministry of Education’s NEDI platform as tools to equip children with digital skills for the future.
On child protection, the President noted that while the Child Rights Act has been domesticated across the country, the federal government is currently reviewing both the Act and the National Child Policy to ensure they remain effective and up to date.
He added that through the 2025 Costed Action Plan, the government is backing its commitments with financial resources to tackle violence against children, child marriage, and female genital mutilation.
He further encouraged state governments to strengthen the Nigerian Children’s Parliament, describing it as a vital platform for nurturing leadership, civic engagement, and democratic participation among young Nigerians.
The President also urged children to steer clear of violence, cultism, substance abuse, cybercrime, and bullying, warning that such vices rob young people of their futures.
He encouraged them instead to embrace discipline, hard work, honesty, and patriotism, and to use technology responsibly.
In her welcome address, the Minister of State for the FCT, Mariya Mahmoud, represented by the Acting Mandate Secretary of the Women Affairs Secretariat, Hajiya Mukhtar, said the FCT
Administration with support from UNICEF Nigeria is reinforcing community-based child protection structures, training social workers, and tightening oversight of homes and orphanages to safeguard children’s dignity and safety.
One of the most moving moments of the event came from Jessica Nufi, a student of Government Secondary School, Garki, Abuja, who delivered a passionate appeal to the government on behalf of children across the country.
She called for free and accessible quality education, stronger protection from insecurity and violence, and an end to early marriage, cultism, drug abuse, and environmental dangers.
Jessica painted a sobering picture of the realities many Nigerian children face daily, noting that poverty keeps millions out of school, while insecurity, early marriage, and social pressures continue to rob many children especially girls of their futures and sense of safety.
She appealed to governments at all levels to make education universally accessible, strengthen healthcare for children with special needs, and create safe environments in schools and public spaces
She also called for a Nigeria free from drugs, cultism, and environmental hazards one that the next generation could be proud to inherit.
Closing her speech with a pledge on behalf of Nigerian children, Jessica promised that if adults fulfilled their responsibilities, children would do their part by obeying their parents and teachers, studying hard, shunning vices, and becoming responsible leaders of tomorrow.
Her words were met with resounding applause from children, parents, and officials in attendance.
