Nigeria’s future stability could be under threat if urgent action is not taken to protect children without parental care.
This is the warning from SOS Children’s Villages (SOSCV), which has linked child neglect not only to societal breakdown but also to Climate change and growing insecurity across the country.
At a climate change media workshop in Lagos, SOSCV’s Chief Programme Officer, Ayodeji Adelopo, said children left without adequate care face a dangerous path, one that could fuel instability in the years ahead.
“Children by their nature are vulnerable, but those without parental care are even more exposed,” Adelopo told participants.
A child who never knew the care of society may feel no remorse burning that society down. This is why many young people are easily recruited into insecurity. If we fail to support them, the danger is not just for the child but ultimately for the nation.”
He urged urgent reforms to the Child Rights Act, first enacted in 2003, arguing that insurgency, cyberbullying and worsening economic hardship are leaving more children at risk than ever before.
Youth at the Forefront of Climate Action
The workshop also marked the launch of the SOSCV Eco-Champion Project, titled Empowering Youth for gender responsive climate action, designed to empower young Nigerians to take the lead in climate justice.
In Calabar, a young female activist Banita Obot, has turned personal tragedy into action.
After the 2022 floods devastated parts of Bayelsa and Delta states, destroying livelihoods and cutting short schooling for many children, Obot began teaching students how to reduce, reuse and recycle waste.
She narrates, “My friends lost their livelihoods and couldn’t return to school,” she said. “That inspired me to act.”
With support from SOSCV, she is now training 300 children across six schools to create reusable bags and stools from discarded bottles, innovations that both reduce waste and provide income opportunities.
In Lagos, Eco-Champion Shukurat Akinola, co-founder of the Eco-Aiders Initiative, is changing perceptions about waste. “Waste is not waste until you waste it,” she said.
Her group has organised exhibitions and competitions across eight schools, reaching more than 400 students through climate quizzes and exhibition.
” We want to spark the green mind in them, so they can lead climate action” she explained
Meanwhile in Ibadan, Hannah Omokhaye and her team at Eco Smart Club have created 15 school clubs and trained more than 1,000 students and 52 teachers.
Together, they have recycled nearly 400 kilograms of plastic waste while promoting environmental awareness.
Call for Collective Action
For SOS Children’s Villages, these grassroots projects are proof that young people can drive solutions if they are supported.
It insists that government, corporate bodies, and individuals must step up to protect vulnerable children and give them opportunities to thrive.
“If we get it right, these children will grow to become contributors to society, rather than threats to it.” Adelopo said
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