UNICEF, FG plan 2050 roadmap to tackle Nigeria’s out-of-school crisis
UNICEF and the Federal Government have identified Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis as a top priority, pledging to develop a 2050 roadmap.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Federal Government have identified Nigeria’s growing out-of-school children crisis as one of the country’s most urgent development challenges, pledging to place education at the centre of long-term national planning.
Speaking at the Child Foresight Analysis Roadmap Validation Exercise in Niger State, UNICEF’s Chief of Planning and Monitoring, Wayne Amago Bacale, said the organisation remained committed to supporting efforts to improve access to quality education for every Nigerian child. “Addressing the out-of-school children crisis remains one of UNICEF’s highest priorities in Nigeria. It is one of the country’s most pressing development challenges,” Bacale said.
Consultations conducted nationwide as part of the Child Foresight Analysis identified education as one of the most critical sectors requiring urgent intervention if Nigeria is to secure better outcomes for children by 2050.
The Director-General of OSPRE, Chris Ngwodo, described the roadmap as the first national policy initiative specifically designed to incorporate children’s perspectives into government planning up to 2050. “The policies being developed were co-created with Nigerian children. The entire consultation process has been driven largely by children themselves, meaning this roadmap genuinely reflects their voices, ideas and aspirations,” he said.
The ambition is commendable. The timeline is telling. A 2050 roadmap means current policymakers are planning for a future they will not be held accountable for. The children affected today will be adults by then.
The winners: Nigerian children, at least in theory. The losers: the millions of children currently out of school, who cannot wait until 2050 for a solution.
Bottom Line: A 2050 roadmap for out-of-school children. That is 24 years away. The children affected today cannot wait that long.