African Child Must Be Heard, Says Aisha Buhari

By Michael Olugbode

The First Lady of Nigeria, Aisha Buhari, has stated that there is urgent need towards making the voices of African children heard.

Speaking at the celebration of the Day of African Child 2021 in Abuja, the first lady who was represented at the event to mark the day in Nigeria by Special Assistant to the President on African First Ladies Peace Mission, Mairo Al-Makura, said: “It is indeed sad to note from research conducted by some organisations that Africa has the largest number of child labourers, which states that 72.1 million African children are estimated to be in child labour, and 31.5 million in perilous work.”

She lamented that in most African countries, the voices of children have not been heard, insisting that certain cultures and norms and the complexities of their current and past realities put the children on the continent at a disadvantaged position.

She said: “We are also aware that every disaster or conflict comes with terrible consequences for children. Besides protecting children from harm whenever we can, it is equally important to help them cope with the shattering effects of violence. This involves setting up child-friendly spaces and emergency education initiatives to restore children’s sense of stability and normalcy.”

Buhari said it is disheartening that the African child is portrayed as one whose future is bleak.

According to the first lady, “My concern presently is the right of a child to healthy living, right to care, and right to go to school without fear of the unknown. I appreciate the effort of government to secure schools to avoid abductions of children, but I want to appeal to all stakeholders not to leave this aspect to the government alone. To ensure that the African Charter for children works, it is the responsibility of all stakeholders to play their role effectively. We must work together to make Africa great! The future is bright for the African child! Long live Africa!”