The President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Mr. Eze Anaba, has challenged media professionals to amplify the voices of vulnerable Nigerian children facing insecurity, disease and lack of education.
Speaking at the UNICEF World Children’s Day Media Symposium organised in collaboration with the NGE and Diamond Award for Media Excellence (DAME) in Lagos on Tuesday, Anaba lamented the nation’s worsening security crisis and its devastating impact on children.
He urged the media to use accurate and verifiable data, especially through partnerships with UNICEF, to highlight solutions and celebrate community-led successes and prioritise investigative, solutions-driven reporting that identifies not just the problems, but how to fix them. “The time for passive reporting is over,” he said.
The NGE President also acknowledged the indispensable work of civil society organisations, describing them as the bridge between the affected communities and national stakeholders.
He urged the CSOs to expand their efforts in generating community-driven solutions, providing child-protection services, engaging families and local leaders, and holding institutions accountable.
Anaba stressed that the media should amplify civil society findings to ensure that grassroots insights influence national policy.
He commended UNICEF for its unwavering dedication to promoting children’s rights in Nigeria, noting that its support, especially in the form of data, training and resources remains essential to strengthening media capacity.
Together, he said, UNICEF and the media could drive nationwide awareness campaigns, improve data-driven reporting, train journalists on child rights issues, and coordinate advocacy for stronger child protection policies.
“UNICEF’s leadership provides the evidence we need to tell the stories that matter,” he said.
Despite the vital roles of the media and civil society, Anaba placed the ultimate responsibility for children’s safety on the government and urged the authorities to rigorously enforce child protection laws, invest significantly in education, healthcare and social welfare, secure schools and communities, ensure justice for crimes against children, and work transparently with media and civil society to rebuild public trust.
Speaking on some of the challenges facing Nigerian children, Anaba stated that Nigeria’s current security alert rated at the highest level is a clear indicator that the country is undergoing extraordinary turmoil.
“Nigeria is in a state of emergency. If we did not know before, we should know now,” he declared. “At no other time in our history except during the civil war has the condition of our children been this uncertain.”
He emphasized that children remain the most consistent victims of Nigeria’s insecurity. “Whenever we attempt to understand who the latest victims of these barbaric attacks are, we almost always find the same tragic pattern,” he said.
“Children killed, injured, displaced, or traumatized,” he said adding that the relentless bloodshed as a betrayal of the very vision the United Nations sought to protect when it established Universal Children’s Day in 1954.
“Yet, 71 years later, the Nigerian child faces threats from all directions. Schools meant to be safe spaces have become battlegrounds. Hospitals lack vaccines for millions of infants. Culture and conflict disproportionately keep girls out of school. Children continue to endure abuses ranging from early marriage to forced recruitment by armed groups. These are not mere statistics,” Anaba said.
According to him, there are the lived experiences of children whose dreams and our country’s future are being derailed. With children making up half of Nigeria’s estimated population of 220 million, he warned that “what happens to our children happens to Nigeria.”
“Without strong political will, our advocacy remains incomplete,” he warned.
Anaba also challenged all the stakeholders to commit to concrete steps that can change the trajectory of children’s lives. These steps include launching investigative journalism series, forming partnerships with NGOs, initiating policy dialogues, creating dedicated child rights programmes, and embarking on joint advocacy campaigns.
“Collectively, our actions can rewrite the narrative for millions of Nigerian children,” he added.
GIK/APA