Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has lamented the high number of out-of-school children in the country as Nigeria celebrates the 2022 Children’s Day on Friday.
In a statement via his Twitter account, the All Progressives Congress presidential hopeful called on the government to find ways to reduce the number of out of school children in the nation.
Lawan said, “May 27 was set aside to draw attention to the rights and plights of children in Nigeria,” adding that “the nation must continue to do more to prepare its young ones for a better future.
“The large number of out-of-school children in the country calls for deliberate action by the government to change the alarming situation.”
The Senate President said there are grave consequences for a country such as Nigeria to have a high number of children without formal education.
He urged the relevant authorities at the various levels and the society at large to pay close attention to the needs of children.
He said the government must be on alert to make prompt and proactive policy interventions that provide children with good healthcare, get all of them into school at the appropriate ages and equip them for the future with quality education.
The Senate president urges the government ”in the spirit of the Children’s Day to domesticate and implement the Child’s Rights Act of 2003”.
He finally assured the Nigerian child that the legislatures would ”continue to be there for them by providing Legislative interventions to help them actualise their potential”.