Despite insecurity, future of Nigerian children remains bright, says Bagudu

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, has reaffirmed that despite the country’s ongoing security challenges, the future of Nigerian children remains bright.

He made the assurance on Thursday in Abuja at the World Children’s Day celebration organised by UNICEF, where he said President Bola Tinubu is committed to safeguarding and investing in the Nigerian child.

Bagudu said the president remains a strong advocate for investment in children and teacher education, noting that Tinubu had cancelled several domestic and international engagements to prioritise efforts to rescue the students abducted on Monday from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State.

The minister called for a minute’s prayer for the abducted pupils and for children in captivity worldwide. Describing child abduction as an assault on humanity, he urged global action against violence targeted at children, warning that the Maga incident forms part of a wider pattern of hostility against children, including mass school shootings in other countries.

“Our children are our future. When a child is threatened, it is not just a national issue—it is a global concern,” he said, calling for coordinated international action to protect children from modern security threats.

Bagudu, speaking on the theme The Future of Nigeria’s Children: Vision, Voices and Action, urged national and international stakeholders to strengthen child protection systems, enhance access to quality education and scale up investments in child welfare. He stressed that the pursuit of education must prioritise learning quality as much as enrolment.

On security, he highlighted Nigeria’s longstanding contributions to global peacekeeping and noted that advanced technologies such as drones and intelligence-sharing could play a vital role in locating missing children and preventing further incidents. He added that support from global partners should be seen as solidarity rather than weakness.

The minister concluded by calling for unity among families, communities, governments and international partners to place children at the centre of national development priorities. He also thanked the United Nations system for supporting Nigeria’s economic reforms, which he said are beginning to produce gains for inclusive development.