As nations commemorated World Children’s Day, UNICEF issued a clear message to Lagos lawmakers: children’s rights are non-negotiable, and promises must translate into action that children can feel in their daily lives.
At a Policy Dialogue and children’s art exhibition held in Lagos, Celine Lafoucriere, Chief of UNICEF’s Lagos Field Office, reminded leaders that every child begins each day with rights, not privileges, and warned that global support for those rights is weakening at a critical time.
She highlighted stark global projections: ongoing reductions in funding for child-focused interventions could expose an additional 4.5 million children to the risk of death by 2030 and force more than six million out of school by 2026. Already, over 200 million children worldwide require urgent humanitarian assistance.
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Despite this troubling global landscape, Lafoucriere stressed that Lagos has the capacity and track record to chart a different path. She commended the state’s leadership in national birth registration and noted that when Lagos commits to children, the impact is visible.
The children at the dialogue, drawn from schools across the state, presented artwork and shared experiences that reflected a common reality: many attend school hungry, learn in overcrowded classrooms without basic amenities, or face violence at home and in their communities. Others feel shut out of decisions that shape their futures. These, Lafoucriere said, are reminders that the day’s theme “My Day. My Rights.” represents lived realities, not simple slogans.
She urged the legislators present to move beyond sympathetic listening, insisting that the situations described by children “are not acceptable, not in our Lagos.”
She called for specific, time-bound commitments: rehabilitating dilapidated schools, expanding digital learning tools to underserved areas, strengthening primary healthcare, increasing enrollment in health insurance schemes, and creating formal platforms for children to participate in policymaking.
Lafoucriere emphasized that investing in children is not only morally right but economically strategic, yielding a future workforce that is healthier, better educated, and more productive, while reducing long-term poverty and insecurity.
She reaffirmed UNICEF’s readiness to support Lagos State in achieving these goals and ended with a challenge to the lawmakers: to leave the event with clear, actionable steps that children can see, touch, and benefit from.
“Leadership must be visible,” she said. “Let us show every child in Lagos that their rights matter, today and every day. Itesiwaju Eko!”
