NEWS
Nigerian Children’s Future Holds Hope Amidst Hardship
….Nigerian Children’s Future
By Prosper Okoye
Amidst the spate of hardship, the future of the Nigerian child is full of hope, said the Child Protection Network (CPN).
Things have become so tough lately that a majority of Nigerians are unable to afford the basic needs of life.
Child rights advocates have said that this could further trigger child labour and other forms of abuse.“Child labour remains a burning issue in Nigeria,” said CPN FCT Coordinator, Michael Adeniji.
“The recent data released by the NBS states that 43 percent of children in Nigeria are involved in child labour. I think that is a very startling datum,” he told DAILY ASSET in a chat shortly after the end of the organization’s Q3 general meeting attended both virtually and in person yesterday.
“Child hawking, street begging, trafficking of children, and other things remain burning issues,” emphasized Adeniyi, who has just taken over the leadership of the Network.
Corroborating this issue, a member named Modukpe Adelanwa said she intervened in a case where a woman bit her maid, who is still a child. “I don’t understand why a woman will eat the flesh of her maid,” she said.
Adelanwa also alleged that a powerful cabal is profiting from the exploitation of children in the FCT.
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Additionally, another member, Vital Anyadike, pointed out the increasing use of children by the “yahoo-yahoo” boys for rituals. The trafficking of children abroad for internet fraud was also decried.
Furthermore, the CPN coordinator acknowledged the dilemma of giving alms to children or patronizing a child laborer’s trade, thereby fueling the trend of abuse, vis-à-vis the fear that the child may die without patronage or alms.
“It would be against the ethics and values of my work to patronize children who are hawking or begging. However, it does not mean I don’t see them,” he said.
“What we do as actors is that when we see cases like this we try to intervene, ask questions, and rescue them. And when the need be we invite the state actors.
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“We handled one such case where two children between the age of five and nine, were begging on one of the major roads of the FCT suburbs, we rescued them and provided shelter for them in one of the shelter homes in the FCT. Now we have a plan to empower the family economically so the children are not put out to work,” he explained.
“To members of society who are in this dilemma, of having children begging or you noticed that there is a lot of child work going around, whilst is not morally wrong to give children money when you see that a child looks impoverished, it is usually best when we do this the right way. If we can identify local organizations in those areas who are working with children and volunteer with them, those resources can be put towards supporting the family of those children, and calling them off the streets, because that should be the goal,” he added.
The removal of fuel subsidy coupled with the economic and monetary policies of President Bola Tinubu is said to have caused the spate of recent hardship which has created protest in a state.
A participant, Uzoma Aneto, called on the government to engage stakeholders that deal directly with the local poor for proper data and to ensure the proposed palliatives get to the people that really need them.
Adeniji continued: “We need to do better and it goes beyond the NGOs and the government organizations to even private citizens, we need to know that all forms of child abuse are wrong, we need to contribute our quota to making sure that we have a suitable environment for children. Cases of child sexual abuse, trafficking, and hawking should be made a taboo in our society, and that’s when we can say we are approaching the development of our nation.”
“We know that the country is going through very difficult and tough economic times, however, we should always do the right thing. I am very optimistic about the future of the Nigerian child. Have you looked around the world and seen what the Nigerian child is able to accomplish? Being the best in mathematics, and winning global awards, we would say that some of them are privileged, but some are those that have risen from grass to grace.
However, the CPN Coordinator stated that they are actively taking measures to address the trend of child abuse in the FCT.
“People like me that work with the children, we will make sure that we do not relent, and we continue to advocate for change, and do better.
“Child labour is not the solution, as a matter of fact, it further causes problems to the family and the society.
“We have mapped out a strategy to engage communities to make them understand why education is most important for children. This time we want to double our efforts and make sure we go to local communities to engage stakeholders, market women union, youth groups, leaders on why children need to be given the needed support to grow optimally,” he added.
The meeting also featured a didactic session by Chioma Odogwu taking the participant on the journey of crafting stories that can reach their program goals.
From Francis Sadhere, Delta
Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has urged civil service commissions across the country to prioritise continuous training and retraining of personnel to improve efficiency and strengthen public administration.
The Governor said regular capacity development was essential for building a competent workforce capable of responding to emerging administrative challenges and meeting the demands of modern governance.
Oborevwori made the call on Monday in Asaba while receiving members of the Federal Civil Service Commission, led by its Chairman, Prof.
Tunji Olaopa, on a courtesy visit.Represented by his Deputy, Sir Monday Onyeme, Ph.D., the Governor maintained that the effectiveness of government institutions depended largely on the quality, welfare and professional competence of their workforce.
He noted that rapid changes in global administrative practices had made continuous learning imperative for civil servants at both state and federal levels.
According to him, Delta State has continued to invest in the welfare and professional development of its workforce, a commitment he said had positioned the state’s civil service among the best in the country.
Oborevwori also called on the leadership of the National Council on Civil Service to encourage civil service commissions across the federation to embrace sustained manpower development.
He expressed delight that Delta State was hosting the 2026 edition of the National Council on Civil Service, describing the event as an opportunity to showcase the state’s commitment to excellence in public administration.
“We are very happy to host the 2026 edition of your National Council; Delta State likes to be first in everything, and our civil service stands among the best in the country because our personnel are properly trained and their welfare is prioritised,” he said.
The Governor added that keeping public institutions abreast of changing global standards required deliberate investment in continuous training and retraining.
“Things are changing rapidly across the globe, and continuous training and retraining remain the only path to keeping our institutions abreast of modern demands.
“I urge the leadership of the National Council to encourage civil service commissions across the federation to adopt this continuous learning approach,” he said.
Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Prof. Tunji Olaopa, commended the Oborevwori administration for hosting the national gathering.
Olaopa explained that the annual event features a targeted conference aimed at addressing contemporary issues in the civil service, advancing reforms and shaping the future of public administration in Nigeria.
He also applauded Governor Oborevwori for his performance and developmental strides across Delta State.
From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
The Kogi State Government has defended the recent review of tuition fees at Prince Abubakar Audu University, Anyigba, (PAAU) saying that the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Salisu Usman acted in line with government directive.
Government also said that the review was part of a unified policy aimed at harmonising charges across all state-owned universities.
The Vice Chancellor of Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU), Anyigba, Prof. Salisu Ogbo Usman, and the Commissioner for Education, Hon. Wemi Jones, made this clarification on Monday while appearing before the Kogi State House of Assembly Committee on Education over a petition alleging an increase in school fees at PAAU and Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja.
The committee, chaired by Alhaji Idris Maikudi, also had Hon. Bode Ogunmola, representing Ogori-Magongo, and Hon. Abu Jibril, representing Ajaokuta State Constituency, in attendance.
Explaining the rationale behind the review, the Commissioner for Education said adjustments to school fees were never undertaken in isolation, noting that the state government usually sets up a committee to accommodate different interests whenever such a review becomes necessary, particularly in view of the administration’s free education policy.
Jones disclosed that a letter conveying the directive for the fee review was sent to PAAU as far back as 2024 but was not fully implemented at the time.
He said the current implementation was in line with a uniform fee structure for state-owned universities, which had already been adopted by other institutions in the state.
In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Usman, maintained that the university merely implemented the state government’s directive, stressing that his administration did not independently increase the fees.
He said his humble background had naturally made him sympathetic to the plight of students and parents, but added that as the head of an institution, he was obligated to operate within the provisions of the law and government policies.
The Vice Chancellor further argued that despite the review, fees charged by Kogi State universities remained considerably lower than those of neighbouring states.
He cited Edo, Ekiti, Ondo and Osun States as examples, where students studying Medicine and Law pay significantly higher fees, in response to questions from members of the committee.
Prof. Usman also highlighted the state government’s investment in sustaining Medical Sciences programmes, recalling that the Medical programme at PAAU collapsed in 2012, forcing students to be transferred to Ebonyi and Kaduna States to complete their studies.
He said the administration of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo had addressed the challenge by putting structures in place to sustain medical training in two state-owned universities.
The Vice Chancellor urged students to take advantage of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), revealing that 4,032 students of the university had been approved for the scheme, with N562 million cleared for payment.
He added that applications from another 600 students were being processed, while beneficiaries were also entitled to a monthly upkeep allowance of N20,000.
On the allegation involving Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, the Rector, Prof. Salihu Sanusi Avidime, said he was not aware of any petition concerning an increase in fees, insisting that his administration had not raised school charges.
Rather, he explained that the institution had reduced accommodation fees following complaints by parents over accommodation challenges.
The Commissioner for Education corroborated the Rector’s position, describing the inclusion of the Polytechnic in the petition as strange and frivolous.
Meanwhile, the House Committee cautioned individuals and groups against submitting petitions to the Assembly without making themselves available to defend the allegations contained therein.
The committee observed that such practice amounted to a waste of legislative time and was unfair to institutions invited to respond to claims that had not been substantiated.
However, the lawmakers requested additional documents as part of efforts to conduct a thorough examination of the petition, assuring that the matter would be handled with due diligence and in accordance with legislative procedures in the interest of the institutions and students.
In their separate appeals, the National Chairman of the National Association of Kogi State Students (NAKOSS), Comrade Isiaka Amoto, and the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Adams Abdulrazaq, urged the lawmakers to prevail on Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo to reconsider the fees with a view to effecting a slight reduction to ease the financial burden on students and their parents.
By David Torough, Abuja
Dangote Group is considering expanding its industrial investments into Egypt as part of its broader pan-African growth strategy, opening new opportunities for economic cooperation between Nigeria and Egypt.
The development followed a visit by a high-level Egyptian delegation led by the Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Dr.
Mohamed Saleh, to the Dangote Industries complex in Lagos. The visit focused on identifying opportunities for industrial collaboration, investment partnerships and capacity development across key sectors.The delegation, which included officials from Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and executives from its oil and petrochemical industries, explored potential partnerships between Nigerian and Egyptian businesses, particularly in refining, petrochemicals, fertiliser production and manufacturing.
President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, described the engagement as a significant step towards strengthening African economic integration and accelerating industrial development across the continent.
He said the visit reflected the Group’s commitment to expanding African businesses beyond national borders and creating industries that generate value, employment and sustainable economic growth.
Dangote noted that the engagement also provided an opportunity to showcase the Group’s industrial capabilities while identifying areas where both countries could combine their expertise to strengthen production capacity.
Speaking during the visit, Saleh said Egypt was keen to translate existing diplomatic and business relations with Nigeria into practical investment opportunities and long-term industrial partnerships.
He explained that the visit followed previous engagements involving Dangote Group at the Alamein Economic Conference and other international investment forums hosted by Egypt.
According to the minister, Egypt was particularly interested in studying Dangote Group’s achievements in refining, petrochemicals, fertiliser production and related manufacturing operations to identify opportunities for cooperation.
Saleh emphasised that stronger private-sector partnerships would play a crucial role in deepening economic relations between both countries, attracting investment and expanding industrial production.
He added that combining the strengths and experiences of Nigerian and Egyptian businesses could unlock new opportunities for sustainable growth and shared prosperity.
The potential expansion into Egypt aligns with Dangote Group’s Vision 2030 agenda and reinforces its ambition to become a leading driver of industrialisation and economic development across Africa.
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