Children’s Day: 18.3m out-of-school kids ticking time bomb, experts warn

Children’s Day celebration

As Nigeria marks this year’s Children’s Day, prominent voices across academia, civil society, and government have, in conversations with The PUNCH, raised the alarm over the country’s worsening out-of-school children crisis, calling for urgent, coordinated interventions to rescue the nation’s future.

The United Nations Children’s Fund estimates that 18.3 million children in Nigeria are out of school, which experts say poses a ticking time bomb for national development if left unaddressed.

Leading the call, a Professor of Sociology, Lai Olurode, described the crisis as “a national emergency,” calling for bold and comprehensive policy responses.

“To take a large number of children off the streets demands concerted efforts, synergy, and communication among strategic stakeholders,” Olurode said while speaking with The PUNCH.

He advocated for the reintroduction of free and compulsory education, drawing inspiration from the legacies of Chief Obafemi Awolowo in Western Nigeria and Lateef Jakande’s administration in Lagos State.

Olurode also called for improved teacher welfare, rehabilitated school infrastructure, and social security initiatives to support families whose children may lose income from street trading.

“The falling roof must be fixed and the falling wall mended,” he warned, noting that dilapidated learning environments only push vulnerable children back to the streets. Punch